


Rebirth

by Deliriaella



Category: Naruto
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Self-Sacrifice
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-14
Updated: 2016-01-24
Packaged: 2018-05-06 16:24:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 38,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5423879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deliriaella/pseuds/Deliriaella
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sakura and Sasuke have a beautiful daughter. Despite some bumps on the road, her life turned out how she's hoped it would since she was twelve. Everything seems perfect. But life reminds her it's never done throwing curve balls. As things change drastically, Sakura reaches out and clings to a man who has been around through it all. The only thing she asks of him is to be the one who says nothing.<br/>Starts as SasuSaku, will end as KakaSaku.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone!  
> This is my first story in over a decade, so I apologize ahead of time if things seem a little stilted as I start it off. Constructive criticism is always welcome.
> 
> CANON SPOILERS AHEAD
> 
> The story takes place a 5-ish years after the events of The Last: Naruto The Movie. Sarada has already been born, but instead of Sakura coming back with her right away, she continued to travel with Sasuke for a few years until they BOTH came back to stay in Konoha. Oh, and Sakura managed to convince him to take the arm made from Hashirama's cells at some point.  
> I'm trying to keep everything as in character as possible, but of course I may slip up sometimes. This will be a dark and emotional rollercoaster of a story, or at least I hope it will be.
> 
> Please read and enjoy! And maybe leave a comment if you're feeling frisky. :)

Her breaths were labored and shallow, the pain rocking through her body becoming too intense for the young woman.

"Come on, Sakura! I can see the head! You're almost there sweetheart, just keep pushing."

Brow furrowed and teeth clenched, Haruno Sakura pushed with all her might. It felt fruitless, trying to get this child out of her, but she continued pushing.

"That's it Sakura, I can see her head! Come on now, you can do it."

The air in this old hideout of Orochimaru's was stagnant and hot with her own perspiration, but Sakura breathed it in deeply. Sweat dripped heavily down her forehead, and her pink hair clung to her face like a second skin.

"Push Sakura! Push as hard as you can!" said Karin. The red-headed woman was Sakura's impromptu midwife, having luckily been hanging around during the last few months of the pregnancy. Really, Sakura had no idea what she'd do without her.

Slowly, a hand slipped into Sakura's grip. She snapped her head to her right and saw her love, Uchiha Sasuke, standing by her side. He squeezed her hand softly and managed to give her a small smile. A warmth having nothing to do with her exertion spread throughout her body. He was there. He was there for her, just like she had always wanted – just like she had always tried to be there for him, whether he had accepted it or not.

Sakura found new strength flowing through her, spreading from where he held her. He was with her. She could do this.

Her lips pulled up over her teeth in a loud snarl, and Sakura pushed with renewed vigor.

"That's it! Sakura, you did it! She's out!"

The sharp cry of a newborn baby echoed throughout the underground room, and for the first time in many hours, Sakura relaxed. Though the sound reverberated off the walls painfully, she didn't care. It was a beautiful music to her ears, finally being able to hear the sounds of the child of her and Sasuke's union.

The hand in her grip squeezed tightly then, having also been touched by the hauntingly beautiful caterwauls of their baby girl.

"Just give me a second to clean her up a bit dear, then she'll be right in your arms where she belongs."

Karin wrapped the newborn in a red blanket of cotton bearing the Uchiha crest and brought her over to the bowl of warm water that Sasuke had just fetched. She gingerly wiped away the afterbirth and smiled down at the child. Sure, Karin resented the fact that it was Sakura that Sasuke had chosen over herself, but she knew that this small bundle of joy in her arms deserved none of that bitterness.

Once she was satisfied with the child's first bath, Karin wrapped her in a fresh blanket and made her way over to the parents. Sakura's eyes were glassy and half-lidded, but she forced herself to stay awake. Her baby was coming. Their baby was coming. Her shaky arms stretched out in front of her, eager to hold her daughter. Karin handed over the child gently, and Sakura cradled the baby girl to her chest.

Karin took a step a step back, having decided to allow Sasuke and Sakura to have their moment of peace no matter how much it hurt her. Though Sakura may have been swept up in the moment, the gesture did not go unnoticed by the young Uchiha man. He mouthed a silent 'thank you' to her, and she nodded in response before quietly exiting the room. It was true that Karin respected Sakura and even regarded her as a friend of sorts, but she had never gotten over her love for Sasuke. Even now, after having just aided in the birth of his child to another woman, she still pined for him. The pangs of loneliness rushed through her heart as she walked through the sparsely lit halls of the hideout. She needed space. She needed some kind of release from this torrent of emotion, and she knew she wouldn't find it here.

Back in the room, the infant's cries continued as Sakura tried to hush them as softly as possible. Sasuke lowered his head to Sakura's and brushed the strands of hair from her eyes.

"She's beautiful," he said. "Just like you."

Sakura's face broke into an exhausted smile as she regarded her daughter, fingers skimming gently over the baby's forehead before glancing up at her lover.

"She's ours," she said, her smile becoming wider as she saw the look of adoration on Sasuke's face.

He couldn't help the grin that crept upon him, and the sight of it made Sakura's heart beat wildly.

"Indeed she is… but what shall we call her?"

Sakura turned her loving gaze back to the noisy newborn. Her tired arm lifted the hem of her blouse to expose her breast for her child, and she winced slightly as she felt the suckling on it in response.

"How about… Sarada."

Sasuke nodded in agreement before leaning ever closer to the scene before him, stretching a finger out to the tiny hand of his daughter. "Sarada sounds like a wonderful name." Almost as if she understood, Sarada's small hand flew to his finger lightning fast and squeezed it with surprising strength. The touch made Sasuke's eyes widen in shock. Everything before this moment suddenly felt like a dream, and it was only the grip of his newborn baby girl that anchored him to this life, to this reality.

Sakura chuckled softly. "I think she likes that name." Sasuke could only stay where he was, afraid that any slight movement or noise he made would force him to wake up in some strange land where what lay before his eyes now was just a dream. "Yes, I think she likes that name," Sakura repeated absently. Her eyes blinked slowly as she fought against the tides of sleep threatening to overtake her body. As her breath gradually evened out, Sasuke was finally shaken from his reverie. He leaned down to place a soft kiss to the purple rhombus on Sakura's forehead.

"Rest now, Sakura."

Sakura gave a small hum in reply, satisfied that Sasuke would remain to care for Sarada once she was asleep. Within seconds, Sakura was adrift in slumber. And Sasuke did remain, watching the torch light dance on Sakura's face, and waiting for Sarada to be content enough to be removed from her mother's breast.

Outside, Karin wailed.


	2. Reunions and Announcements

Sarada giggled joyfully as her Unka-Kashi blew raspberries on her exposed belly, red-rimmed glasses threatening to be tossed off her face as she squirmed from side to side. Unka-Kashi was the name Sarada had given to her 'uncle' Kakashi, of course. It was Sarada's third birthday, and many of her parent's friends and their own children had been invited to celebrate. Sakura and Sasuke had only been back in Konoha for a few months, so it was the first of the children's birthdays that all of their friends were able to enjoy together. Watching the scene take place from her patio, Sakura chuckled into her hand.

"Who would have thought he had it in him, huh?" said Naruto, arms crossed and a large smile playing on his face.

"None of Team Seven, that's for sure." Sakura chimed in,

Sasuke gave a nod, a small smirk the only sign of his enjoyment.

Sarada's laughter became uncontrollable as Kakashi took a deep breath through his mask and once again attacked the poor child relentlessly, tears clutching her eyes and black hair swinging wildly behind her. Suddenly there was a blond haired, blue eyed child pulling at his left arm, and a second blond haired, but green eyed child pulling at his right.

"Leave her alone, Unka-Kashi!" yelled the children in tandem. Both kids were trying their hardest to defend Sarada's honor, scared that Kakashi's Wind Style: Raspberry Jutsu would destroy her. In an overly dramatic fashion, Kakashi let go of his grip on Sarada and allowed himself to be pulled backwards by her rescuers.

"No! I've been… defeated," Kakashi uttered as he clutched his chest before gracelessly rag-dolling onto the grass.

"Yeah! We did it!" exclaimed both Uzumaki Boruto and Yamanaka Inojin. The pair jumped in excitement around the prone body of Kakashi, while Sarada stood up and made a show of brushing the dirt off her clothes.

"Hmph! I coulda taken him all by myself!" she yelled, crossing her arms and looking pointedly at the nearest wall.

Inojin and Boruto looked at each other, then back at Sarada.

"We saved you, Sarada. You should be nice," Inojin said, unimpressed by his friend's exclamation.

"Yeah! He could have eaten you!" yelled Boruto.

Sarada only gave another dissenting noise before sticking her tongue out at the two young boys. The saviors' glanced at one another again and nodded in silent agreement before running toward the dark haired girl. She gave a little shout and kicked off in the opposite direction as fast as she could. The patio door slammed open and a chubby dark-skinned, fair-headed child stood in the doorway, squinting at the other kids running around on the grass.

"I know one of you just said they were eating! You have food, don't you?" Akimichi Chouchou shouted. "I'm hungry!" And with that, she also ran to join in on the chase.

Having realized that his presence was no longer needed, Kakashi stood and wiped the grass from his clothes as he walked towards his old team. He crinkled his eyes upon his approach, hoping that this display of kindness hadn't tarnished his image before his old students.

Unfortunately, Kakashi wouldn't get his wish this day. Naruto held his sides as he broke into raucous laughter. The chuckle from Sakura and the smirk from Sasuke told him that he wasn't about to remain unscathed.

"Ah, you've discerned my secret, have you?" He asked, his right hand hidden behind his head as he scratched his scalp in an embarrassed gesture, and shoulders slouched in mock defeat.

Naruto managed to compose himself again. "You were never like that with us, Kakashi-sensei!"

"Well, you were genin when I met you," came the quick reply, "And I told you to stop calling me sensei. All of you surpassed me long ago, Naruto."

"I could call you Kakashi-sama or even Kakashi-senpai, if you'd prefer that."

Kakashi shuddered. "No, no. I think we're all familiar enough with each other for a first name basis, even if I am Hokage."

Naruto could only shrug and grin in response, knowing that it was a habit he'd probably never break.

Kakashi gave a real smile as he finished his walk over, satisfied with his accomplishments at the party thus far. Being the sixth Hokage meant he was rather busy with paperwork and meetings, but he was glad that he hadn't let that stop him from showing up to this gathering. He might have been an hour late but hey, at least he had real excuses this time.

"Well," Kakashi decided to change the subject, "I think I've done a rather good job of occupying them," he said while he stepped onto the patio and turned around to watch the mayhem.

"Hell yeah!" yelled Naruto as he threw his right arm around his genin teacher's shoulders.

"Yep!" shouted Sakura, as she mimicked Naruto and threw her left arm around his other side.

"Yeah," Sasuke said, standing behind Kakashi.

They were together again, and it was a feeling that Kakashi hadn't realized he'd missed as much as he did until that moment.

"SAAAAAAAAAAAAKURAAAAAAAAA," came a voice from a distance. Sighing, Sakura removed her arm from Kakashi's shoulder, intent on giving whoever it was a good knock on the head. She walked around to the front of the building and closer to the source, when she noticed two familiar figures standing by Ino.

"I didn't expect you to make it! Tsunade-shishou, Shizune, I'm so glad you're here," said Sakura, her annoyance forgotten and a wide grin on her face as she grabbed them both for a hug.

"As if I could ever miss your daughter's birthday," Tsunade stated with a smirk at her old apprentice.

"Don't let that fool you, she almost gambled away our traveling money," said Shizune. "I had to hide it from her."

Sakura couldn't hold back her laughter at the look of indignation that Tsunade gave Shizune. Shizune merely shrugged. "It's true." Waving the comment off, Tsunade turned back to Sakura.

"We brought you some sake from Kumogakure."

"Yeah, I had to stop her from drinking all of it, too."

"Shizune…" Tsunade warned, voice dangerously low. This time Shizune panicked slightly, wondering if she'd pushed the blonde's buttons a little too hard.

Sakura smiled warmly. "Thank you, Tsunade-shishou. But actually I—"

Just then, Nara Shikamaru's head popped out of the front door. "Oi! Food's ready!"

"Alright!" Sakura shouted back. "Come on, Hinata's cooking is the best. Let's go enjoy it while it's hot," Sakura led the way inside, the others close behind her.

The aroma in the house was heavenly, and Sakura felt her mouth water immediately. On the table was the most delicious looking food she'd seen in a long time. The skin on the two roast ducks looked perfectly browned and crisp, and the sugar crust on the large honey baked ham promised a sweet melt and crackle on her tongue. There were baking dishes of scalloped potatoes that bubbled over with melted cheese, large bowls of piping hot green beans coated in a ginger teriyaki sauce, plates filled with mushrooms sautéed in a butter garlic mixture, and a few baskets of fresh dinner rolls that looked so soft and delectable. Sakura couldn't wait to dig in.

"Forehead, you're drooling." Ino poked Sakura in the shoulder and Sakura glared in return.

"Shut it, Pig. I haven't seen a spread like this in years, of course I'm drooling."

Hinata appeared from the kitchen, hands clasped in front of the swelling of her stomach and a gentle smile on her face. Hinata was five months pregnant with her and Naruto's second child, and she glowed with maternal warmth. Sakura had tried to dissuade her from cooking when she offered, but the normally shy woman had been immovable in her decision, stating that it would be her honor to cook for her best friends. At least Shikamaru had decided to help as well, claiming it'd be a pain if anything happened to the future seventh Hokage's wife and unborn child.

"I'm glad you like it, Sakura-chan," she said softly. Hinata was no longer as timid as she had been in the past, but she was often still quiet, reserved, and easily embarrassed. Sakura smiled warmly at her old teammate's counterpart. She honestly couldn't think of anyone better for each other. They balanced one another – Naruto was a little less unruly and boisterous since he married Hinata, and Hinata had become more comfortable in her own skin.

Sakura embraced Hinata. "Thank you so much for cooking. It looks amazing."

"I hope it tastes good too," Hinata replied, a blush staining her cheeks. Ino walked up to the two and placed a hand on each of their shoulders.

"I'm sure it does. Your food has always been beyond delicious, Hinata," Ino said, grinning widely.

"Less talking, more eating." Chouji was sitting at the table, already loading up his plate. Though his table manners had improved considerably over the years, he could still be impatient when it came to waiting for others. Beside him sat his daughter, her plate piled rather high for a girl as young as she, her cheeks stuffed with food.

Before long, everyone was sitting at the table and digging into their own portions. Everyone except Kakashi, who sat on a nearby chair and began reading one of his worn and ever-present copies of Icha Icha. If being the Hokage hadn't broken him of his love for the slightly smutty reading material, nothing would.

"This is amazing, Hinata!" said Shizune as she savored the roast duck.

"She's the best cook," Naruto said, talking with his mouth half-full of green beans. "It's better than ramen."

"That's high praise coming from you, Naruto," teased Kakashi.

Murmurs of agreement arose from the group, most of them being unwilling to stop eating in order to say a full sentence.

Sakura nodded her approval, and then noticed who wasn't sitting at the table. "Kakashi! Come eat already," Sakura chided. He merely waved a hand in a noncommittal gesture.

"Not hungry. I had dinner at the office."

Sakura pursed her lips and twisted her mouth to the side, not believing him for a second. "Yeah right, you just don't want to show your face." Kakashi turned his gaze to her and gave her his eye-crinkling 'you caught me' smile. Two could play that game, she decided. "Never mind, it's alright. We don't want to see your buck teeth anyway."

Naruto caught on quickly and nodded. "Or your fish lips."

"Or that wart…" Sasuke added.

Kakashi's eyes drooped as he sighed. Had he just been thinking how much he missed them? Maybe 'missed' wasn't the right word.

From her seat in between her parents, Sarada paused to look over at Kakashi thoughtfully, her red-rimmed glasses sliding down her nose a little. "Oh… that's why you wear a mask all the time, Unka-Kashi?"

The sound of people eating came to a halt, and for a second everything was quiet. Naruto was the first one to break the silence with a snicker he couldn't hold back. The sound had a domino like effect on the adults, and within moments everyone had erupted into loud laughter at the young girl's earnest question. Sarada glanced around the room, confused at what they all found so funny. Tears streamed down Sakura's face as she rubbed her daughter's head affectionately and gave her a wide smile.

"That's my girl," she said, which only confused Sarada more, but she smiled back at her mother anyway.

"Here, here! To Sarada!" Tsunade said as she lifted her small sake cup into the air, cheeks already flushed. As usual, she wasted no time in getting drunk. The clink of cups rang around the table as the adults toasted to one another in Sarada's honor.

"Grown-ups are weird," said Boruto from between his own parents. Inojin nodded sagely from beside a snickering Ino, while Chouchou continued eating.

It was then that Tsunade noticed Sakura was drinking tea instead of the sake she had brought. "Oi, Sakura. I brought this all the way from Kumogakure for you, at least have a cup," she said, shaking the sake bottle while giving Sakura a very pointed look.

Sakura rubbed the tears from her eyes and shook her head at Tsunade. "I'd love to normally, Tsunade-shishou, but I can't."

Tsunade sighed in exasperation at the young woman. "Sakura, you're going to turn down your master?"

Sakura nodded. "Yeah. I actually have an announcement to make, now that we're all gathered." Everyone looked at her expectantly while she smiled and hugged Sarada close to her side. "I'm pregnant again. Sarada here is going to have a little brother or sister soon." Sarada beamed up at her mom, excited at the prospect of having a sibling around. Naruto grinned.

"Wasting no time there, eh Sasuke?"

Sasuke gave his jinchuriki friend a glare before _'tch'_ ing in response, which only made Naruto's grin wider.

"Naruto!" Hinata admonished softly. Naruto's grin fell into a gentle smile.

"Ah, he knows I'm just teasing."

"Well, I think a 'congratulations' is in order," said Ino said while grabbing her glass of wine. "Here's to Sarada, Sasuke, Sakura, and the unborn child inside her! I'm glad you've found happiness, Forehead. You deserve it. Just please don't start the kid's name with an 's' this time. Saying all your first names together makes me feel like a snake," Ino finished, then winked at her friend.

The crowd around the table cheered in their agreement and toasted for the second time that night, a few of them having already drank a little too much by then.

Sakura smiled. "Thanks everyone, it means a lot to us that you're all here." She glanced around the table again. "Well, mostly all here. Where are your wives, Chouji, Shikamaru?"

Chouji's forkful of ham paused in front of his face as he answered, "Karui's headed to Kumogakure to help Killer B with some concert he's trying to set up. She said she'll be back in a couple of weeks, but she'll probably be here sooner. They all seem to fail before they start."

"And Temari's in Suna with Shikadai right now, visiting Gaara and Kankuro. She wants him to get to know his uncles a little better, and since Gaara's too busy to visit, she has to go to him." Shikamaru shrugged. "I'll tell her the news when she gets back, Sakura. I'm sure she'll want to come see you."

"Me too, Sakura," said Chouji.

The pink-haired young woman beamed at them both. "Thanks, you two."

An easy silence fell upon the group as they finished eating their food and drinking their spirits, with Chouchou practically licking her plate clean when she was done. Everyone thanked Hinata profusely, stating it was the best meal they had in years. She could only mutter a quiet thank you, embarrassed by all the praise. Sakura stood and began to clear the table, before a touch to her elbow stopped her and she sat back down. Confused, she looked over at Sasuke. He shook his head at her.

"I'll do it." Sasuke stood and gathered a respectable amount of the dirty dishes and cups and took them away without another word, returning in a second for the rest.

Ino nodded her approval before carrying the leftovers to the kitchen. Sakura merely shook her head. "I'm pregnant you guys, not an invalid. You shouldn't let Hinata cook the entire dinner and then tell me I can't help clean up when she's further along. I'll at least grab the cake and some clean plates." She moved to stand a second time, but a hand on her shoulder stopped her. Kakashi stood behind her, giving her his eye-crinkling smile once again.

"You stay here with Sarada instead, I got it."

Sakura narrowed her eyes at him. " _You're_ just doing that because you know it will annoy me."

Kakashi nodded. "Payback for the buck-tooth comment," he said while walking away, earning a chuckle from Naruto. Kakashi looked over at him with a gravely serious expression on his face. "You're next."

"Eh?! What'd I do?!" Naruto shouted in shock. Sakura laughed.

"Still forgetful as ever, Naruto. Does 'fish lips' ring a bell?"

The remaining group had a laugh at his expense as he sheepishly rubbed a hand behind his head. "Ah, yeah… Hey wait, what about Sasuke?!"

Shikamaru snickered. "Unlike you two, I doubt Sasuke would have any reservations about knocking his lights out."

Naruto pouted at that. "So not fair." Hinata giggled and leaned over to kiss her husband on the cheek, which caused a blush on Naruto's boyishly handsome features.

Boruto stuck his tongue out. "Bleh, you guys are gross."

And once again, the adults shared a laugh at the earnestness of the new generation.

Tsunade took another sip of her sake and looked at Sakura. "I guess that means you're not going back to work at the hospital any time soon, eh?"

Sakura's smile faded, and she bore a look of regret. "No… not any time soon. I miss it so much though." She chuckled to herself, "You were unrelenting in the shifts you gave me, shishou, so the break was nice for a bit, but… Well, it gave me a sense of being. I'll be back and working there again the first day I can. Right now, though, family comes first."

Tsunade gave a hum and a nod. "You're only what, 24? 25? You'll be back at it in no time." Sakura nodded, thankful that her mentor understood. "Well, Shizune, I guess that means we've got to stay in Konoha for a while again. If Sakura's unavailable, we may end up being needed at some point."

Shizune smiled. "Of course, Tsunade-sama. I'll just let the Raikage know not to worry, and that we won't be back for some time."

Sakura's eyebrows shot up in surprise at the insinuation. She gave Tsunade a knowing look, and a blush that had nothing to do with the alcohol she had consumed spread throughout Tsunade's face.

"Shizune!"

Shizune gave a little _eep_ and scrambled to the furthest edge of her chair from the furious and inebriated woman. She breathed deeply in relief as Ino and Kakashi returned. Ino had intentionally gotten between the two to place the plates on the table, and the sight of chocolate cake distracted Tsunade completely. Sakura chuckled. "Shishou, it's okay. I'm happy for you."

Tsunade crossed her arms and _hmph_ 'd, earning another giggle from her pink haired apprentice. For an older woman, Tsunade sure did act like a spoiled child often. She blamed the First, and she was sure he'd agree if he was there.

Taking it as a cue to bring everyone's attention back to the whole reason for their gathering, Sakura clapped her hands together. "Alright! Cake time!"

"Yes!" shouted Chouchou and Chouji in unison.

Shikamaru just shook his head. "Like father like daughter, I guess."

Sakura grabbed the matches being offered to her by Sasuke and began to light the candles. Once they were all lit, the group sang an out of tune "Happy Birthday" to Sarada, who fidgeted and blushed in her seat.

"Go on Sarada, make a wish," Sakura said, smiling down at her daughter. Sarada thought for a few seconds before deciding and blowing out all the candles in one go. Everyone clapped for her.

"In one breath! That means you'll get your wish within a year, honey." Ino smiled at Sarada, and Sarada smiled back.

"What'd you wish for?" questioned Boruto, but Sarada just shook her head.

"Not telling," she said, causing Boruto to pout. Sakura was cutting off pieces of the cake and Ino was passing it around.

"Hinata baked the cake too," Sakura stated, at which the mentioned woman looked embarassed.

Chouji took a bite and moaned, eyes glittering happily. "Like heaven." The group chuckled and thanked Hinata again for being so gracious. Upon first bite, they understood exactly what Chouji was talking about.

Sakura tried to pass a piece to Kakashi, but again he refused. "What is it this time?" she asked.

"I don't like sweets."

Sakura rolled her eyes at his excuse, but gave him a smile and decided not to press it further. He was grateful that she knew his limits. It was only fun to tease him about his mask up to a point, but eventually it lost its appeal for the day.

Once the cake was finished, Sakura stood cleared the dirty plates. This time nobody moved to stop her, as there was far less to carry. "Presents are next, guys. I'll meet you in the living room in a second."

Sakura deposited the dishes in the sink and turned around, nearly running into Ino as she walked in carrying the cake.

"Oops! Sorry, I thought you'd heard me, Forehead." Ino grinned. She put the cake down on the counter before rummaging around in the cupboards to find a plastic container big enough for the leftovers. Sakura rolled her eyes.

"Thanks, Pig." She was about to walk out, and then she had a thought. She knew Kakashi had probably been too busy with work to eat at the office like he said he did, and it was only his reluctance to show his face that stopped him from enjoying the delicious dinner that Hinata had spent most of the evening making. "Hey, Pig, pass me a container with a few dividers in it."

Ino looked at Sakura curiously. "Eh? Why?"

Sakura sighed, "I'm going to give Kakashi some of the leftovers. It doesn't feel right that he won't at least taste some of the food. And there's far too much for us to eat it all before it goes bad anyway."

Ino laughed. "You're too nice to him, Forehead. He could've had it himself if he'd just take that mask off for a night."

"There's some kind of reason he won't. I'll respect that, but I still think he should enjoy it."

Ino waved dismissively before passing Sakura the container she found. Sakura grabbed the leftovers already in the fridge and began putting decent sized portions into the one she was going to give Kakashi. There was one extra spot, so she added a small piece of cake too. She snapped the top on when finished and walked out with it in her hand, looking for her silver haired ex-team leader but not finding him around.

"Eh? Naruto, where'd Kakashi go?" she questioned.

"Huh? Oh! He said he still had some work to take care of, so he left early," Naruto replied, causing his pink haired friend to groan.

"Honestly, arrive late and leave early. Typical Kakashi," she said with a sigh. "Oh well, I'll just find him and give him this after the party's over."

"What is it?" asked Naruto.

"It's leftovers. I know he just didn't want to take his mask off, but Hinata's cooking is too good not to share. It'd be a shame if he didn't try it."

Naruto nodded in agreement. "Good idea, Sakura-chan. Maybe next time she cooks it'll motivate him to take it off and eat it hot, too. I still can't believe we haven't seen his face once. He even left it on for the stone carving!"

Sakura grinned, as it was not the first time she heard Naruto lament that fact. "Well, that's our Kakashi. Always stubborn when it comes to the mask."

Sarada pulled on her mom's sleeve, causing Sakura to glance down at her. "Mommy, can I open my presents now?" Sakura smiled gently.

"Of course, sweetheart. Let's go." She put the leftovers for Kakashi down on the table, and let Sarada guide her eagerly into the other room.

There was a small pile of boxes on the floor, and Sarada let go of her mother's sleeve in order to bound right over to it. Sarada ripped open every wrapping, sometimes forgetting to read who it was from before doing so. Nobody cared, of course. Children get excited over their presents after all. But Sakura chided Sarada softly anyway, teaching her it was rude not to know who to thank when receiving a gift. After that, Sarada opened her presents more carefully, and made sure to thank everyone properly.

She received a pair of beautiful red barrettes with roses on them from the Yamanaka family, a children's cookbook from the Akimichi's, a handheld gambling game from Tsunade (which Sakura was not at all impressed by), a fleece blanket with a pig face print from Shizune, a large frog plush with matching frog pajamas from the Uzumaki's, a memory matching game from the Nara's, a fantasy storybook from Kakashi, a small dog plush from Inuzuka Kiba, and a book about insects from Aburame Shino. The latter two had dropped their presents off earlier in the day, knowing they had a mission to depart on that afternoon. Her parents had gotten her a set of ninja dolls she had been asking about for weeks, complete with miniature plastic kunai and shurikens. With the unwrapping of each present, except for maybe the book on bugs, Sarada's face lit up with excitement.

When she was done, Sarada ran around the room and hugged everyone fiercely. "Thank you! I love them all." Her happiness was infectious, and one by one they all hugged her in return.

"This was fun, Forehead, but it's getting rather late. We should get going," Ino said while she pulled Sakura in for a hug. The crowd murmured their agreement, saying their goodbyes and slowly filtering out of the Uchiha compound to go back towards their own homes. Sarada let out a large yawn and rubbed her eyes, beginning to feel exhausted now as the excitement dwindled down. She walked over to Sasuke and gripped his leg.

"Daddy, I'm tired. Can you tuck me in?" she asked, her voice muffled because she had her face squashed against him. Sasuke smiled.

"Of course," he said, rubbing her head fondly. Sakura couldn't help but be amazed at the scene before her. Never had she thought that this would be her life, and yet here she was. As Sasuke was led down the hall by Sarada, Sakura turned to finish cleaning up for the night. Thankfully each of her guests had tried to be as considerate as possible, so there really wasn't much to do except pick up the wrapping paper and a few cups here and there. She finished just as Sasuke returned to her.

"She passed out quickly," he said.

Sakura nodded. "It was a long day for her." Sasuke hummed and wrapped his arms around her. With a contented sigh, she melted into his embrace. "You're being awfully affectionate," she said. "It's nice."

"It was a long day for me too. Lots of people. But now it's just you." His response made her smile, but it faltered within a second.

"Shit, I almost forgot."

"What is it?"

"I've gotta go bring Kakashi his food."

Sasuke sighed. "You don't _have_ to do it tonight. Or ever. It's just Kakashi."

"I know, but I want to." She leaned up to his cheek and gave it a quick peck. "I'll only be a half hour. I'd say don't wait up for me, but you might like it if you do," Sakura said, then winked at him.

He grinned back at her before grabbing her chin to pull her up for a proper kiss. "I was going to anyway." He brushed his thumb along her cheek. "Although, you really shouldn't do that while pregnant."

Sakura scoffed and released herself from his grip. "I'm barely two months along, Sasuke. I'll be fine."

He shrugged. "I get protective when it's my wife and child."

"I noticed. But someone needs to stay with Sarada, and unless you want to deliver this for me…"

"I'll stay here."

Sakura knew that would be his answer. He could handle small social settings, yet put him one-on-one with anyone but her, Naruto, or his old Team Taka, and the tension was thick enough to cut with a knife. Even Kakashi wasn't spared. People rarely knew what to say around him, and he never cared enough to fix it, so the problems remained.

Sakura pulled away to find her red scarf and jacket. The winter jacket she slid on was also red, but with pink trimmings, and a white fur hood. She wrapped the matching scarf around her neck, positioning it to guard her nose from the night's chill. Sasuke handed her the container of leftovers. "Thirty minutes," she said.

"Twenty."

She rolled her eyes playfully and walked out the door, deciding she'd just aim to be back between twenty and thirty minutes and call it a compromise. She'd barely walked out of the Uchiha compound before a strong gust of wind pushed at her back and made her pink hair flutter wildly into her face. She pulled the hood up around her head and continued walking. The streets were empty, and the lamps around her flickered occasionally, causing the shadows to dance and twitch when they did. Sakura felt unnerved, and glanced around. She saw nothing amiss, but she knew that a shinobi should always trust their instincts. Right now, her instincts were on edge.

She felt no chakra, so she pressed onward, confident that she was either being foolish, or could handle whatever came her way. Within ten minutes she spotted the light on in the Hokage's office, proof that Kakashi did indeed have some work to finish. She eventually made her way up to the office door and knocked, thankful for a break from the wind.

"Come in."

Sakura opened the door and saw Kakashi with his head on his chin, a look of surprise on his face when he noticed who it was.

"Sakura? What are you doing here?"

She smiled at him and walked to the side of his desk and placed the container by a stack of papers. "I brought you some leftovers so that you could eat too. I don't quite believe that you've actually eaten yet. Don't forget that I was Tsunade-shishou's apprentice and assistant while she was Hokage. She'd often forgo eating as well."

"Ah. But I think that was so she could drink and sleep instead," he said, returning her smile.

"True. That woman seems to run off sake."

Kakashi gave her a genuine laugh, and she was suddenly glad she had made the walk. She was sure he didn't laugh often now, and it made her happy to bring him a small amount of joy. She felt he deserved it, especially in recent years.

"Well, I'm going to be getting back now. Enjoy, Kakashi."

He nodded. "Not going to try and watch me eat again, are you?"

She laughed. "No, of course not. I respect your right to keep your face to yourself, it's just fun to tease you too."

The statement made Kakashi smile again. "Thank you, Sakura. You're too kind to me."

"So I've been told," Sakura replied with a smirk.

As she walked down the hallway to return home, Kakashi sighed in his office. He had just been wondering what he should eat that night when she had arrived and saved him from his self-imposed predicament. It warmed him that she cared enough for his wellbeing to make the walk so late at night, and she certainly knew what she was talking about when she accused him of not eating. The idea of dinner had flown out the window when he realized the time earlier and made his way to the party, and the temptation to just say "fuck it" and eat with the rest of them had been strong when he got a whiff of Hinata's cooking.

But now he had his own serving sat in front of him. And even better, he could actually eat it. His stomach growled loudly then, and he picked up the container to go reheat it and dig in. He pulled down his mask and stabbed a few of the scalloped potatoes onto his fork. When the first bite graced his tongue, he groaned in bliss.

"Hinata is a goddess, and Sakura is a saint," he murmured to his empty office. He was actually considering eating in front of anybody the next time he had the chance to savor Hinata's cooking, mask be damned. Whoever was around him would probably be so shocked that he could eat their portions too, and that alone almost seemed worth it.

A few blocks away, Sakura walked down a now dark street, the lamps having been turned off for the night. That eerie sensation she had earlier had returned, and she was once again on edge. She couldn't shake the thought that she was being watched. Eventually she saw the familiar Uchiha crest and felt a little better, thankful she was almost home.

She walked through the door and closed it before unwrapping the scarf from her neck and hanging it on the coat rack. Her red winter coat was placed on top, and her shoes were removed and put against the wall.

Sakura padded lightly to her room, careful not to wake Sarada as she passed the girl's ajar door. She could hear her daughter's soft snores, and it brought a smile to her face.

She crept into her own room softly, making as little noise as possible. Pretty easy for a kunoichi of her caliber. But of course, Sasuke's powers of perception were always just as honed.

"You're five minutes late," he said from the darkened side of the room where their bed was.

"Hmm, am I? I thought I was five minutes early," she teased in return. "Let's call it a compromise."

She could _feel_ Sasuke's eyes narrow from where she stood. "Just get in bed. You said something about how I might like it if I stayed up. So far, I'm not impressed."

She walked halfway into the moonlight that filtered in through the window and began stripping off her clothes piece by piece, until she was naked before him.

Sakura smirked and walked to the bed. "That can be changed."

"Good," Sasuke replied as Sakura crawled on top of him, "because that's not one I'll let you compromise on."

As he rolled her to her back and kissed her, neither of the lovers noticed how the shadows danced and flickered in the branches of the tree by their window.


	3. Make Time For Me

A chill clung to the air on this sunny spring morning as Sasuke walked slowly towards the Hokage's office. He was wearing his normal garb today. A collared black cloak hung over his shoulders, with a grey vest underneath. The pants he had on were made of a light material for ease of motion, black in color, and he wore the normal shinobi issued black sandals. And as always, his sword was sheathed behind him.

Three weeks had passed since he'd seen Kakashi at Sarada's party, and he honestly could have done with more time between visits. But he'd been summoned, so he went. He knocked on the door and was told to enter.

"Kakashi."

"Sasuke."

A tense silence filled the air. Sasuke didn't have the kind of relationship with Kakashi that Naruto and Sakura had built over the years. He couldn't have it, since he wasn't there. The few times Sasuke had seen Kakashi between leaving Konoha and returning hadn't exactly been cheery reunions either. They had mostly been filled with blood, lightning, and maniacal laughter.

Sasuke raised his eyebrow at Kakashi to indicate that he was waiting for the reason he was called. Kakashi sighed.

"I need you to go look for a team that should have been back by now. They're two days overdue."

"No."

"Sasuke."

"No."

"Would it help if I said you know them?"

Sasuke gave Kakashi a blank stare, having decided that the silence should be answer enough.

"I'm not going. Ask Naruto," and with that, Sasuke turned to leave. Kakashi knew this would be difficult.

"You're best suited for this particular assignment, considering it already involves you."

The hand on the doorknob paused. Sasuke's interest had been piqued. "Involves me? How?"

"Come here, please."

Sasuke thought for a moment, then decided that perhaps it would be best to hear Kakashi out. He turned around and walked back towards the desk, crossed his arms and placed his weight on his right foot as he opted to listen to the rest of whatever it might be Kakashi had to share.

Kakashi cleared his throat. "A couple of months ago, rumors began floating around the hidden villages, eventually making their way back to the Kage's offices. A group of missing nin has been going around trying to recruit strong followers to their cause."

Sasuke began to piece together how he might be connected and scoffed. "Let me guess, they're claiming I'm their leader?"

Kakashi shook his head. "No, quite the opposite. They believe that it's only a matter of time until you snap and declare war on the shinobi world again." The reaction Sasuke had to that statement was small, but Kakashi saw it regardless. His stance became slightly more rigid, and his hands under his coat appeared to be gripping his biceps tightly. "While you were traveling a few years back, some of these individuals had pleaded to their respective Kage that you be considered a threat, but all such requests were denied. When you returned to Konoha, most took it as a sign that you were truly on the right path. However, some still believed that it was a move of deception on your part, intended to lull us Kage into a false sense of security so that you could dismantle things from the inside."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "And you?"

For a moment, Kakashi's eyes creased as he smiled happily. "Do you think I'd be telling you this if I suspected you? We may not get along much anymore, but I do trust you, Sasuke. I see how you look at Sakura and Sarada when you think nobody is watching. You would never betray them, just as you would never again try to betray the ideals that Itachi held."

Relief flooded over Sasuke, which was not something he had been expecting to feel. But he also hadn't been expecting Kakashi to be so honest. He closed his eyes briefly and gave a slight nod, his arms unfolding to hang by his sides as he shifted his weight to be centered again. The movement did not go unnoticed by Kakashi, who took it as an indication that Sasuke was finally a little more open to him and what he had to say.

"…were there any shinobi from Konoha that approached you?"

 _Well, if honesty is the way…_ Kakashi thought. He nodded. "Yes, there were. However, when you rescued and then returned with the head of the Hyuuga family after finding him nearly dead, showing up just in time to then save most of Konoha from that giant meteorite, it seems everyone _here_ changed their minds."

"But those in other villages did not."

"Correct," said Kakashi. "As I mentioned, they think we Kage are being deceived. They left their hidden villages and banded together to find like-minded shinobi. They weren't much of a threat, so we decided to only monitor their movements. However, recently they've become more organized and gained a few strong followers. It appears they have new leadership, someone who has a clear game plan in mind. In order to figure out what that might be, I sent team to infiltrate, allowing them to claim they were defectors from Konoha."

That statement reminded Sasuke too much of what his brother had been put through, and he sneered at his silver-haired ex-sensei. "Did you learn nothing from how Itachi was forced to live and die?" he asked tersely.

Seeing that Sasuke misunderstood, Kakashi sighed. "They have not been declared as missing nin, nor do I intend to do so. Their mission was to last only long enough to determine _who_ the leader of this group is, so that we might be able to use other sources of information to learn more about him or her."

Sasuke shook his head. "How would that ever work? Their leader likely already knows that there is nobody in Konoha who supports him."

Kakashi nodded in agreement. "You're right, but I already considered that, Sasuke. I sent a team of four, two of them are people who have voiced a negative opinion of you in the past. It was those two who were to infiltrate, claiming that your return aroused their suspicions again, while another pair remained on the outside as their backup in case things went awry. Given that I expected them back by now, I fear the worst."

"Who?"

"Shino, Kiba, Genma and Yamato. Shino and Kiba are the ones assigned to infiltration. The most recent update by Genma and Yamato was a notice that their mission had been completed successfully and they were returning to Konoha with urgent news. Clearly, whatever it is they learned they did not want to risk being intercepted, even with the aid of encryption."

"So why do you want to send me to find them? And why did you wait so long to tell me of this group?" Sasuke asked, finally getting to the questions that had been weighing on him the most.

"I stated earlier that I trust you, Sasuke. However, the council are a stubborn old lot. They wanted to keep this from you, and for a while I went along with it. But I'm taking this into my own hands now. I feel it is time that you became informed of things that directly involve you. And this team I sent are all strong shinobi. If _they're_ in trouble, you're one of their best bets for being saved," Kakashi admitted.

Sasuke stayed quiet for a moment, running all that he had learned through his head in order to reach a decision. "I'll go find them and bring them back," he finally stated.

Kakashi gave Sasuke a relieved smile. "Glad to hear it. I'll assign a medic-nin to go with you. Maybe Sakura would be-"

"No," interrupted Sasuke as he shook his head. "I want her to stay here with Sarada. I'll take Karin. She's not a Konoha ninja, but she's a capable healer in a worst case scenario. And her sensory abilities will help track them down."

Seeing the wisdom in Sasuke's statement, Kakashi gave a nod. "Very well. Their last known position was halfway between here and Iwakagure. The journey should take you just a few days, but I must ask that you leave as soon as possible."

Sasuke merely nodded in response, and turned to leave. As Sasuke exited the office, Kakashi sighed and ran his hand down his face, forefinger and thumb stopping to rub his eyes. He stood from his chair and walked to the window to gaze out at Konoha. _I hope he reaches them in time_ , he thought, lamenting the fact that being Hokage meant he was forced to stay in the village. After a few minutes he moved back to his chair, his feet bumping against a clean, clear plastic container on the ground. Upon realizing what it was, his eyes drooped in disappointment. _Damn it, I should have had him return that._

In the streets below, Sasuke pondered all that he had been told as he walked back to his home. He might normally have been okay with bringing Sakura along, as he knew that Sarada would be just as safe with Naruto and Hinata as she would be with Sakura. Having her monstrous strength and insane healing skills was always a plus, even in her pregnant state she was still a force to be reckoned with. However, something about the idea unnerved him this time. That was why he had been so quick in denying her involvement with Kakashi. It was true that Karin had amazing sensory capabilities, but he would have brought her along with him and Sakura anyway. It was the idea of bringing Sakura along that didn't rest well with him, and he thought it best to follow his gut. He knew she wouldn't like it, but he wasn't going to change his mind.

He arrived in front of his house and walked through the door just as he finished sorting his thoughts. It was now mid-morning, and the smell of Sakura's cooking reached him. He heard a clatter in the kitchen, followed by a gasp from his daughter and his wife cursing loudly.

"Mommy! Those are bad words!" he heard Sarada chastise Sakura. The sound of his three-year-old daughter reprimanding his wife brought a genuine smile to his lips. This was his life now, even after all he had done to never deserve it. He couldn't be more thankful.

"I know honey, I know. I'm sorry. I'm just mad at myself for being clumsy," came Sakura's reply.

Sasuke removed his coat, resting it on the rack beside the door, before removing his shoes. He padded lightly to the kitchen to see Sakura crouched on the ground, towel in hand as she cleaned the spilled liquid, pink hair swinging lazily in front of her face with each motion. Her head snapped up in alert when she noticed his presence, before smiling widely at the sight of him.

"You're back just in time," she said. "I made omelets, miso soup, and rice for breakfast. Though I guess I'll be without the soup… I can't believe I dropped it."

He crouched down next to her to look her eye to eye. "I'm graceful enough for the two of us," he said with a grin. She frowned and stuck her tongue out at him, which only caused him to chuckle. He grabbed the fallen bowl and stood to deposit it in the sink. She followed him, placed the dirty dish towel on the counter next to the sink, and embraced him from behind. Her hands roamed up his chest as she pressed her body into his back.

"What did Kakashi want?" she asked.

The feel of her against him relaxed Sasuke, and he sighed softly. "To send me on a rescue mission," he stated.

"Oh? When do we leave?"

He shook his head and pushed away from the sink, forcing her to step back and release him.

"You're staying here. It's just going to be me and Karin," he said as he turned to face her.

Another frown marred her face as she was unable to keep her obvious distaste for that idea to herself. "I don't like that. I should be there in case something happens. If Kakashi is sending _you_ out on a rescue mission, it's likely because he recognizes the need for your strength."

Sasuke smiled at her perception, even if it was slightly off this time. "That's not the whole reason I'm being sent."

Confusion flickered upon Sakura's face. "What is, then?"

He grabbed her hand to pull her towards the dining room. "I'll explain while we eat."

As they ate, Sasuke went over the information Kakashi had relayed to him. The news that there had been people in Konoha who disapproved of him once was something Sakura had already been aware of as it happened while she was still in the city, but the group of missing nin intent on destroying him was not. She doubted that the group would prove to be a threat to him, but she still didn't like the idea of being left behind.

"I still don't like it," she said in a matter of fact way.

Sasuke sighed. "I know you don't, but I'd prefer if you stayed here."

"Why? Naruto and Hinata can care for Sarada for a few days. I'm sure she'd love to spend some time with Boruto too."

He stared at her intently, letting her see the conviction in his eyes. "Do you trust me?"

Sakura's mouth became a thin line at his question. Of course he had to ask her that. "Yes, you know I do."

"Then stay."

She furrowed her brows and shook her head. "This has nothing to do with trusting you, Sasuke."

"It does," he stated. "My instincts tell me you would be in too much danger if you come. Just stay."

"But-"

"Please," he said to cut off further protest. Sakura clenched her jaw, her retort having been successfully battered down with a simple word. He didn't normally plead, so the manner of his request struck her oddly.

She turned her head to the side, unable to look at him at the moment.

"Fine," she muttered in defeat, "but I don't like it."

Sasuke smiled at her, thankful that he wouldn't have to argue his point much further.

"Thank you."

Sakura snorted in reply before standing up to clear the dirty dishes from the table.

"Daddy's leaving? But you promised to play with me today…" Sarada frowned from the end of the table. Sasuke leaned over and poked her forehead with his middle and forefinger, as his brother did to him so many times before.

"Next time, Sarada." He gave her a smile as her frown deepened. He stood from the table as well, pausing to help Sarada from her seat. He lifted her up first, hugging her to his chest. "I promise."

Sarada leaned back to look him in the face, her glasses slipping down her nose. "Really?" she questioned.

"Really."

She stared at him for another second before nodding. "Okay."

Sasuke let her down gently, and she ran off towards her room, no doubt to play with some of the presents she received for her birthday. He walked off to his own room to prepare for the short journey. A simple change of clothes or two, along with all his weapons, and he'd be ready to go find Karin.

Sakura leaned against the bedroom doorway a few minutes later as he finished packing. He glanced up at her. Her head was against the door frame, green eyes filled with concern. The sight tugged at him to reconsider, but he squashed it down. He left his bag on the bed and moved to stand in front of her, her eyes following his every movement. He reached his hand up to smooth out her brow, then cup her cheek in a gentle caress. She closed her eyes and leaned into it, savoring the contact.

Sasuke leaned down and pressed a chaste kiss to her lips, intending to leave shortly after. But she threaded her fingers through his short black hair and pulled him into her while her tongue swept his bottom lip. He opened his mouth and let her kiss him more deeply while she pushed him into the room. She closed the bedroom door with her left foot as she passed it, never once breaking their connection, and he realized what she wanted when he heard it click shut. His hands gripped her hips as he felt the back of his legs hit the bed. He broke the kiss and tried to push her away.

"Sakura, I don't have the time to-" He was cut off by her mouth on his once again.

"Then make time," she said against his lips forcefully, determined to get her way. "Make time for me."

Sasuke groaned at her words, and pulled her hips back towards him. Sakura's hands traveled under the back of his vest, feeling and kneading the skin underneath while he grasped the side of her shirt and lifted it to just above her breasts, revealing that she had yet to put a bra on today. His right hand cupped her breast, thumb gently rolling her nipple between his thumb and the side of his finger. She moaned into the kiss and raked her fingernails lightly down his back.

He shivered at her touch. "Always," he said back to her before removing her shirt the rest of the way. "I'll always make time for you."

* * *

He left the house nearly an hour later to retrieve Karin. She stayed in an apartment towards the center of town, having had no desire to leave the city once Sasuke and Sakura decided to return with her. She was sitting on her couch reading a book when she heard the knock on her door. She frowned, not expecting any visitors. She placed the book down on her coffee table and moved to the door. "Who is it?"

"Karin, I need you," came a very familiar voice from the other side.

"S-S-Sasuke?!" she exclaimed as her heart began to beat quickly. Her face became flustered as she finally comprehended what he said. He needed her? _Needed_ her?!

Her thoughts finally moved to Sakura, and the blush on her cheeks lessened. No, surely he didn't mean like that. She opened the door to see him standing in front of her, face as devoid of emotion as it usually was. No, he definitely didn't mean what she hoped.

Still, the realization didn't stop the hammering of her heart. "S-Sasuke… what do you want?" she asked while pushing her glasses further up her nose.

"You. You're coming with me on a rescue mission."

Karin narrowed her red eyes at him. "What for?"

"I need your sensory skills, and maybe your healing skills."

She looked him up and down once, seeing that he already had his bags packed. "When do we leave?"

"Now."

She crossed her arms and looked away in a show of defiance. "I'm busy."

Sasuke glanced around into the apartment behind her, only seeing the book on the coffee table, and looked back at her expectantly.

She caved immediately upon feeling his gaze on her again. Really, she had no sense of conviction around this man. "Okay fine. I'll go pack. How long are we going for?"

He nodded at her. "Just a few days. I'll be waiting for you at the gates," he said before walking away.

She only gave a weak-hearted _tch_ in response before closing the door. She packed quickly enough and headed out towards the main gates of Konoha. She hated herself for feeling so weak willed around him, but she could never help it. Karin knew his heart belonged to Sakura, but that hadn't stopped her from wishing things were different.

Her own heart skipped a beat as she saw him again, waiting by the gates with his natural air of nonchalance. She cursed her own emotions for not being able to let him go and move on. Oh how she wished she could.

Sasuke only looked at her when she was right next to him.

"Let's go," he said. He turned around and started walking out the gates, following the path out of the village.

She followed after him, not really caring what this mission was about. She was just glad she'd get to spend some time with him again. But, she figured she should know what she was getting herself into anyway.

"What are we doing?" Karin asked.

"Rescue mission," he replied. "Heading towards Iwakagure. Once we're in the general vicinity, I'll summon my hawk and you'll scan the surrounding areas for the people we're rescuing. It will take a few days to get there, though."

Karin nodded even though he couldn't see it, both excited and scared at the prospect of spending a few days alone with the object of her affection. It was going to be a long and confusing few days.


	4. Downfall

"UGH, my feet _hurt_ , Sasuke! Are we almost there?!" Karin whined for what seemed to Sasuke like the twentieth time since they departed the day before. His patience was starting to wear thin with her. He had quickly realized it was easier to ignore her complaining by saying nothing and continuing their walk, as she often didn't push it much more than that. She'd just wait another hour to ask again.

This time, though, he decided they were close enough. He stopped abruptly, then bit his thumb to summon his hawk.

Karin sighed in relief. "Oh thank Kami."

Sasuke ignored her again and climbed onto the giant bird. He offered her a hand to help her up, and she took it gratefully. The hawk took off, the unexpected departure causing Karin to fall on her ass with a yelp. He smirked at the sight, thinking to himself that she deserved a little torment for what he'd had to endure. Upon noticing that she was quite literally the butt of his joke, Karin scowled up at him. She crossed her arms and looked to the side in childish anger.

In an uncharacteristic gesture, Sasuke extended his hand to her once again, a soft smile on his face. "It was a little funny," he said to her.

She scoffed, but took his hand anyway, unable to deny him when he smiled at her like that.

"Start scanning, Karin. We need to find them as soon as we can," Sasuke ordered.

"Yeah, yeah," she replied.

They flew in silence for hours, taking a wide 's' shape pattern to cover the largest area forward that they could. Finally, Karin noticed some familiar chakra far off in the east.

"There!" she pointed. "I sense at least a dozen chakra signatures over there, maybe more. It's hard to tell from this distance. But one of them feels like…" She shivered in disgust. "Well, it makes me feel like bugs are crawling all over me. I remember him from Konoha. That's one of the guys, right?"

Sasuke nodded, and the hawk changed directions to where Karin had indicated.

As they got closer, Karin was able to sense more than the dozen chakra signatures she had estimated from afar. Twenty shinobi surrounded their four targets. They were vastly outnumbered, and she could tell that they were running low on chakra themselves. Clearly this battle had been raging for hours.

"There's a lot of them, Sasuke. They're surrounded by twenty, and they're nearly out of chakra."

"We're almost there," Sasuke replied calmly. After a minute more of flying, they were over the top of the battlefield. Sasuke turned to Karin. "Stay here. You'll be safer." With that said, he jumped off the hawk.

"But-!" she tried to yell at him as he disappeared to the ground below. "…what if you need me?" she asked the empty air around her.

The hawk turned the other direction, flying her away to a safe distance until summoned to return.

Sasuke landed on a tree branch to survey the situation before jumping in head long. The sound of a thousand chirping birds filled the air as he determined his first target and leapt down once again.

He said nothing as he plunged his lightning-covered hand through one man's back and out his chest. Slowly, the dead man fell forward with a loud thud, no blood coming from the gaping hole as the lightning instantly cauterized it. Sasuke rushed ahead to the clearing in a blur, deftly avoiding the kunai that was aimed for where he had stood just a moment before. He found the team he was to rescue rather quickly, behind a circular barricade of trees undoubtedly made by Yamato. Numerous dead or unconscious bodies littered the ground directly outside the chakra-made forestry.

He jumped over the top and inside of the defenses, using his sword to parry a pair of senbon aimed for his eyes by Genma.

"…Sasuke? Sasuke?!" Kiba spluttered in surprise from his position on the ground. He was too tired to stand, if his one-kneed kneeling position and harsh breathing was any indication. He instinctively went to pat a growling Akamaru on the head, letting him know that Sasuke was not their enemy. "What the fuck are you doing here?!"

Sasuke ignored the aggressive tone in Kiba's voice and sheathed his sword. "I'm here to rescue you. This isn't a very good defensive position; they can get in too easily."

Genma snorted. "No shit, that's the point. These guys aren't too tough, so this was a way to lure them to us in a large group and use Kiba's Twin Fangs to knock 'em all back at once. Problem is there's a shit ton of 'em."

"You really shouldn't be here," Shino said as he stood shakily, dried blood matting his jacket sleeve from an earlier injury.

"Well I am," retorted Sasuke. "I'll take them out, just stay here."

"Wait!" Yamato yelled, but Sasuke had already jumped away.

"Fuck!" shouted Kiba. "This is really bad. If he's here, then they're…" he trailed off.

"We need to help him clear them out fast, he won't listen to us until then," stated Yamato.

The other three nodded in agreement as Yamato lowered the barricade, the sound of Sasuke's chidori once again hung in the air.

"Time for a good ol' fashioned beat down," said Genma as he cracked his knuckles.

"Yeah. Ready, Akamaru?" Kiba asked his faithful companion. Akamaru barked once in response, eager to start the fight.

"We move swiftly and carefully. Likely Sasuke can take most on his own, but we're still faster altogether," said Yamato.

Genma and Kiba nodded. The three ninjas became mere blurs of motion as they jumped out of the circle and towards the fight.

Shino sighed. "Always forgotten," he said before he leapt away as well.

Minutes later, there were only a few shinobi standing. Sasuke easily parried the kunai aimed at his chest, then dashed forward to strike the offending ninja through the heart with his sword. He jumped high in the air as a kunai with attached paper bomb landed at his feet, the explosion rattling the branches of the tree he perched in.

He heard a garbled scream from the direction the weapon was thrown, signaling that one of the others had taken him down.

The fight was over quickly. Though the enemies were great in number, they lacked the strength to handle three jounin, one ANBU, and the Uchiha.

Sasuke jumped from the branch he was on and walked back into the clearing, willing the hawk that held Karin to come back. The bird landed just as the other four reappeared next to him, and Karin jumped to the ground to see if there was anybody who needed her help.

"Sasuke! You shouldn't be here!" repeated an angry Kiba.

Sasuke gave him a sidelong look. "I'm aware of your dislike for me, but I came to rescue you."

Kiba shook his head in frustration. "No man, that's not what I'm fucking talking about."

Yamato stepped forward. "Kiba, let me explain it to him."

Sasuke gave Yamato a curious look.

"We found out what they're after. Long and short of it, their goal isn't what they claim it is. At least, not anymore. They're not out to stop you."

Sasuke's eye's narrowed ever so slightly. "I thought they believed I was going to declare war again and were determined to take me out."

Genma sighed, and Yamato shook his head. "That was their goal until their new leader, Onshiyuu Yake. He's using the organization for his own purpose. He wants you to snap, and he has a plan already in motion. Love."

Sasuke felt his heart clench. "Love?" he asked breathlessly.

Yamato nodded grimly. "He's going after Sakura and Sarada."

Sasuke's eyes widened, and then he was gone. He was atop his hawk and in the air before he could hear another word, leaving them all behind.

"Sasuke!" Karin yelled out.

Genma placed a hand on Karin's shoulder. "He's right. He needs to get back as soon as he can."

Karin felt tears stream down her face, unaware she was even crying. "No, that's not it… I… I was just going to tell him to save them, no matter what."

Shino nodded. "Let's get back to Konoha before more enemies arrive."

And with that, the five began their own bruising pace back to the village.

In the air, Sasuke's face was darkened as he flew back to the village in the red of the sunset sky. He realized now that his instincts were telling him Sakura was just in danger overall, not if she came on the mission. He cursed his own stubbornness and prayed that he could get there in time.

* * *

Sakura carried Sarada on her right hip as she walked down the hallway. The sun was barely setting, but the young girl had been exhausted from her day of playing with the other children. Her dark eyes fought to stay open.

"I'm tired, mommy…" she whined, her small hand coming up under her glasses to try and rub the sleep from her eyes.

The pink haired woman smiled at her daughter. "I know, honey. It's bed time, we just have to get you ready."

She pushed the bathroom door open, setting Sarada down on the counter. She grabbed the toothbrush and put a little dab of paste on it before putting it in front of the girl.

"Brush, then you'll get changed and go to sleep."

Sarada nodded while taking the toothbrush from her mother's hand. Satisfied that she was brushing well, Sakura put toothpaste on her own toothbrush. She was fairly tired herself and ready to go to sleep much earlier than she normally would.

Once both of them finished brushing their teeth and rinsing, Sakura picked Sarada up again and walked them out of the bathroom, down the hall to Sarada's room. She sat Sarada on the bed and rummaged through the girl's drawers in search of pajamas.

"Froggy ones, mommy," Sarada said with a yawn.

Sakura chuckled at her, "Okay, baby." She found the requested pajamas quickly, and moved to take off the girl's clothes piece by piece. As she was putting on the second leg of the frog onesie, Sarada fell back onto the bed with a plop, already half asleep. Sakura smiled before leaning over to lift her back up gently, putting her arms through the sleeves. She zipped up the pajamas at the front and pulled the frog-faced hood over Sarada's head.

Sarada flipped over to her hands and knees, then crawled up to her pillow before flopping onto it. Sakura giggled at her own daughter, highly amused by her sleepy antics. She grabbed the comforter bundled up by the bottom of the bed and pulled it over Sarada.

"Piggy blanket… doggy…" Sarada mumbled.

Sakura found the requested items, laying the pig-print blanket over top of the comforter and tucking in the dog plush into Sarada's arms. She kissed her daughter on the cheek lightly.

"Good night, Sarada. I'll see you in the morning."

"G'night, mommy."

Sakura smiled and left the room, making sure the door was ajar just enough to let a little light peak through. She stretched her arms to the ceiling as she walked down the hallway to her own room, wondering why it was that motherhood was so tiring at times. She quickly changed into her pajamas before picking up the book she'd been reading recently, intending to get through another few chapters until the urge to succumb to sleep was too great. She climbed into bed and sighed. Sasuke had only been gone since yesterday afternoon, but she already missed him.

Suddenly something caught her attention in the tree outside her window, and she snapped her gaze to it. The sun had just set, and the soft light from the first quarter moon didn't allow much visibility. She swung her legs off the edge of the bed and walked closer to the window, never taking her eyes off the tree.

She could have sworn she saw movement earlier, but all she saw now was the gentle sway of the leaves as they blew with the wind. Sakura furrowed her brow. _I must be seeing things_ , she tried to convince herself. But the prickle of gooseflesh on her arms refused to leave, even as she began to rub them away. This feeling was similar to the one she had three weeks ago; unnerving.

She stood there a minute longer, looking for anything. Suddenly there was movement in the top branches that looked too strong for the light breeze, and she tensed.

A squirrel came running into sight and then down the trunk of the tree, undoubtedly off to find food.

Sakura chuckled at her foolishness. "Just a squirrel," she said to herself. She turned around and climbed back into bed, her unease having evaporated quickly. She turned on her bedside lamp and settled herself into a comfortable sitting position with a pillow propped up against the headboard. Sakura opened her dog-eared page and began reading.

She was lost in the world of fantasy and romance for nearly an hour before feeling sleep's siren song become too strong to ignore. Yawning, she leaned to her nightstand and placed the book down, then flicked the switch on the lamp off. She laid down on her side and pulled the covers up to her chin, sighing with contentment. Instinctually, her hands reached towards Sasuke's side of the bed in order to draw him close to her, but she felt only the cold sheets. Sakura frowned, having forgotten momentarily that he wasn't there. She hugged her arms into her body to help retain her warmth, and allowed herself to drift off into a peaceful slumber.

Sakura awoke with a start a short while later, feeling that something was very wrong. She saw nothing in her room, but her gut was screaming at her. She rushed out of the bed and from her room, down the hall to Sarada's. She pushed the door open, momentarily relieved when the moonlight from Sarada's window revealed the eye of a frog like the one on her pajamas. She stood in the doorway and stared at the form in the bed, relaxing a little more, until she realized that the form wasn't moving. There was no telltale breathing happening beneath the sheets.

She panicked and ran the short distance to the figure on the bed, heart in her throat.

"Sarada?! **SARADA!** " she yelled, pulling back the covers and hoping desperately that her daughter was still asleep in bed. Her chest seized and her hands shook when she revealed the figure.

In Sarada's place lay the large frog plush she'd received on her birthday. Sakura let out a shuddered breath, and her hands began to shake.

"No, no no no no no no no," she cried out. Her head swiveled around the room quickly, praying she'd find her daughter somewhere. She saw nothing. She put her quaking hands together in a seal.

"Release," she said as she forced her chakra into it, hoping this was all some terrible genjutsu. But the frog stubbornly remained where it was.

Sakura made a short sobbing sound.

"No… no…"

It was then that she noticed a small piece of paper that had fluttered to the floor when she yanked the sheets back. She reached for it without thinking.

_Go south and come alone, I'll know if you don't. I'll find you. We're waiting._

Sakura clenched the paper in her fist tightly, her anger rising quickly to dull some of the fear.

Whoever this was would die painfully - she'd make sure of it.

But the fear hadn't rescinded completely, and thus she resolved to go alone after all. She wasn't going to gamble with her daughter's life in the balance. Whoever this person was though, they hadn't thought things through too well. She was friend to one savior of the world, and married to the second. She was trained by one of the legendary sannin. They were going to regret messing with her family.

She scrambled out of Sarada's room, being just aware enough to put on her sandals and a light coat before running through the front door and into to the spring night. She raced through the streets until she reached the main gate, rushing by the guard shack without even glancing at it.

Sakura turned south once out of the main gates and continued her blistering pace, only one thought on her mind.

_Sarada._

* * *

A few hours later in the Hokage's office, a certain silver-haired man yawned loudly through his mask, squinted eyes glittering with tears that threatened to fall from the force of it. He rubbed them away quickly. The day had been long for him as well, having meeting after debriefing after meeting and so on. He grabbed the last stack of papers he had just finished and straightened them, then pushed himself away from his desk. As he moved around the side, his feet hit that clean and clear plastic container on the ground. He sighed, being reminded that he'd once again forgotten to return it to its rightful owner.

 _Sarada's birthday was nearly a month ago… this is late, even for me._ He chuckled, imagining that Sakura hadn't even noticed or remembered. He glanced up at the clock, surprised that it was only a quarter past ten. Normally he wasn't finished with work this early. "Oh well," he said to himself, "No time like the present."

He figured that worst case, he could leave the container by her door for her in the morning. At least he could say he returned it.

Kakashi strolled down the street casually, one hand in his pocket. Within fifteen minutes, he reached the Uchiha compound, eager to make the drop and return to his bed for an early turn-in. When he arrived at the house and noticed the front door wide open, he froze mid-step. The container fell to the ground forgotten as he dashed inside to search the house room by room. There was no indication of a struggle, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something awful happened. When he came upon Sarada's room, he noticed the sheets in a pile at the foot of the bed. His eyes fell upon the crumpled paper and he picked it up to unfold it hastily.

"Fuck," he said as he finished reading the short message.

He had just enough forethought to grab Sakura's scarf from the coat rack on his way out the door. He hoped he wasn't too late. He rushed to Naruto's house and banged on the door incessantly until it was answered.

"Kakashi-sensei?" A bleary eyed Naruto asked as he rubbed his face. "What's going on?"

An equally tired Hinata came up behind Naruto, her hand on her extended belly. "Hokage-sama?"

"Sarada's been taken and Sakura went after her alone. Get ready to go now and meet me by the gates. I'll be there in five."

Naruto blinked in response. "Wait… what?"

But Kakashi was already gone. Naruto thought about his words again for a second before comprehending them. Panic set in immediately.

"Shit."

Hinata's jaw hung open in shock once she also understood what just happened.

"Naruto, bring them back," she said, fear causing her voice to shake.

"There's no way I won't," said Naruto as he finished putting on his sandals and orange and black coat.

And with that, he was out the door. Hinata brought a trembling hand up to her mouth.

"Sakura…" she whispered.

Kakashi was already at the next person's house, once again pounding on the door.

Tsunade answered it with a scowl on her face, irritated at the interruption when she was just about to turn in for the night. She blinked in surprise at seeing Kakashi in front of her, then instantly feared the worst. There's no way he'd act like that unless frazzled.

"Sakura and Sarada need our help. Come with me to meet Naruto at the gates, now."

Her eyes widened in alarm before she yelled back into the house. "Shizune! Come!"

Shizune was at her side instantly, having overheard Kakashi herself. "Let's go."

The three bound from rooftop to rooftop towards the front gates. Immediately Kakashi and Tsunade noticed the guards on duty slouched over their desk, appearing dead to the world. She walked up to them and inspected their necks, finding a small puncture point on them. She slapped them hard to try and rouse them, but their heads merely lolled to the side from the force.

"Sleeping serum. And a strong one at that."

Kakashi bit his thumb to summon his ninja dogs. Pakkun and company appeared in a cloud of smoke.

"Something you need, boss?"

"Sarada's been kidnapped. The kidnapper left a note instructing Sakura to head south and go alone." He leaned down to Pakkun and removed Sakura's scarf from his jacket pocket. "Here, this is her scent. I need you to guide Naruto, Tsunade, and Shizune to find her."

Pakkun and the other dogs moved forward to sniff the garment before stepping back.

"Got it. Let's go."

Without another word, the impromptu team took off after the dogs, each of them lost in their own thoughts and fears for their cherry blossom friend.

Kakashi stood at the gates, watching them disappear behind the outside walls of the city. The tremor he had forced away by sheer will came back to rack his body. His friend and ex-student, a girl he'd watched bloom into a gorgeous woman and mother, was out there undoubtedly running into a trap. And here he was stuck with nothing more he could do to help. If Kakashi thought he merely resented being the Hokage the other day when he asked Sasuke to go on the rescue mission, he knew absolutely hated it now.


	5. Making Time

Her heart was pounding and her legs were beginning to feel weak from constant exertion. Sakura endured, pushing her body to its limits as she rushed forward with chakra-enhanced strength in every step. Never had she moved so fast. Branches around her whipped at her pajama clad arms and legs as she dashed through the forest, ripping and tearing the fabric from her person. But she would not be stopped. She thought nothing of her own pain now, her mind kept repeating only one thing to her: _go south, find Sarada._

She had no idea how long she’d been running. It could have been minutes, or maybe even hours. All she knew was the moon still hung in the sky, and she had to keep running. The person who took her daughter said they’d find her. She should have paid more attention to her surroundings.

_Go south, find Sarada. Go south, find Sarada._

She felt her ankle hit the tripwire before she saw it glinting in the moonlight. A volley of kunai rushed at her from the left, and she instinctively pulled her own from her jacket pocket in order to deflect the ones she could. One slipped by her defense and embedded itself in her left shoulder, and she winced in pain.

She pulled the offending weapon from its bloody purchase, gritting her teeth at the sensation. A numbing tingle began spreading from the wound. _Shit, it must be coated in something,_ she thought to herself.

Quickly, she began wiping her hand down her sweaty arm. She gathered her own perspiration and attempted to use the liquid to form a small chakra bubble in order to extract some of whatever this was, hoping she could get enough out to make it non-lethal. But there would be no time given to her for such an act, as within moments she heard the whistle of another weapon rush at her from behind. She dodged forward and to the left, jumping to the branches of a nearby tree and narrowly avoiding a fuma shuriken that would have lodged itself into her spine had she been a moment slower.

Still, she was offered no respite. She heard the hiss of a paper bomb beneath her and instinctively jumped to the forest floor as the place she’d been moments before blew into tiny splinters. Clearly, she had found the trap. Sakura took closer notice of her surroundings now, seeing the dozens of wires strung up through the trees. She could only assume that the branches were also littered with more paper bombs, forcing her to stay on the ground.

She felt no chakra presence, but still, she had enough. She wasn’t here to play games. Lines began to form down her face and body as she released the seal on her Strength of a Hundred technique, knowing that a fight was sure to happen and refusing to do anything but use her full power. The injury to her left shoulder closed up within moments.

With a snarl, Sakura summoned chakra to her right fist and slammed it into the ground beneath her. The earth heaved with the force, trees tossed high into the air as if they were mere toothpicks. Explosions littered the foliage around her as they were destroyed, far enough away to be harmless. As the dust and smoke settled, Sakura stood in the center of the new concave clearing that was easily 100 meters in diameter.

Fists clenched, she surveyed the damage around her for any signs of an enemy presence, but found none. She scoffed. Had they really thought that would be enough to stop her?

A dark chuckle sounded from behind her, causing Sakura to tense and whirl around, eyes scanning for the source.

“Impressive.”

The voice was close, that much she could tell. Yet it seemed to emanate from the air itself. At least that was the impression Sakura received, still unable to see nor sense the person responsible.  
“Where _the fuck_ are you?!” she screamed, teeth bared as she whipped her body around yet again. “And where’s my daughter?!”

Sakura was still searching fruitlessly when she realized she’d lost control of her left arm, the poison on the kunai that struck her earlier having finally taken hold. She cursed, realizing that she hadn’t taken enough damage for her technique to create new cells and dilute the strong poison. Her right hand dove into her pocket and gripped another kunai as she pulled it out, fully prepared to injure herself. It was the only way to regain use of her arm.

Her kunai froze centimeters away from puncturing the skin on her left arm, and her eyes widened in shock as her body refused to respond.

“Ah ah ah,” said a chilling voice from behind her once again. “We can’t have that now, can we?”

Her eyes darted to the side, trying to catch a glimpse of the person nearly purring in her ear. She knew he was there now; she could feel his breath on her ear causing a chill down her spine. She ground her teeth together and growled as she pushed against the unseen resistance with all her might. Her legs started to shake and move slowly in the direction she willed them, but it wasn’t enough. Just as she thought to try and push all of her chakra into her legs in order to burst free in one quick motion, she felt a pinch in her neck and cold liquid was forced into her body. She could feel it coursing through her veins, winding its way down her side and into her head. Her Strength of a Hundred came undone, the lines that adorned her body retreating back to a purple rhombus on her forehead. Her vision became fuzzy as she lost all sensation in her limbs, only being held upright by the very same resistance that had stopped her from freeing herself.

“What did you…” she whispered before her eyelids slid shut and she began slowly falling to the ground.

The man at fault stood behind her crumpled form. He kneeled down and reached long pale fingers out to stroke the hair from her eyes.

“Such a pity,” he said as he gazed at her fondly and brushed his fingertips over her cheek. His dark lips curled upwards into a haunting smirk that showed his gleaming teeth. He picked Sakura up under her arms and tossed her over his shoulder before dashing off to the east.

* * *

Sakura slowly regained consciousness, her head felt hazy and disjointed.

_Go south, find Sarada._

Her eyes snapped open as that single thought filtered through her mind, immediately reminding her of the danger Sarada was in. Sakura noticed the torchlight flickering in the damp room, and she figured she was in some kind of cave. She tried to move her arms, but her body refused to respond. Panic set in and her breathing became heavy as she quickly realized that she was restrained against a wall with her arms and legs spread, utterly immobile. She couldn’t even move her head as it hung limply forward, her sweat-matted pink hair obscuring her peripheral vision. Green eyes darted to and fro in her skull as she looked around the space in front of her. She tried to speak, but all that would pass her lips was a soft groan.

“My, my,” said the voice from earlier, “awake already? You truly are a magnificent specimen.”

Soft footsteps came towards her from her right, and her eyes widened in fright. Sakura tried to force her seal of one hundred to release, but found that whatever paralyzed her also shut down her ability to mold chakra correctly. Black boots came into sight as the man drew nearer, stopping directly in front of her. A hand pushed on her forehead, forcing her head up to gaze directly into the eyes of the man who took her daughter – the man that held them both at his mercy.

“It seems the research and precaution I took to finally capture you was worth it after all,” he said as a soft pink tongue darted out to lick his lips. “I imagine I’d be dead by now if I hadn’t.”

She stared at him, burning his face into memory. He had short purple hair, so dark it almost appeared black. Pale skin stretched over high cheekbones down to ink black lips that curved into a wicked grin. His green eyes glimmered with mischief as they bore into her own, as though this was all some simple game to him.

Sakura’s eyes narrowed at him in rage, wishing she could kill him with will alone. The sight caused his grin to widen into a full blown smile as he enjoyed her lack of power.

“Pleasure to meet you, _Sakura-chan_. My name is Yake.” He gave her a mocking wink, and her lips twitched as she tried to snarl at him in response. The motion made him roar in laughter, the sound bouncing off the walls of the cavern.

“It really is a shame that he had to fall in love with _you_ , you know,” Yake said as his free hand came to caress Sakura’s cheek softly. “I hate having to extinguish such a beautiful flame.”

Another groan came from Sakura’s lips as she struggled to say something, anything back to the man before her.

“See? Glorious.” He released his hand from her head, letting it fall forward to face the ground once again.

“I don’t relish having to kill a child, either. Well, two I suppose. If only I had figured out the weakness of your technique earlier,” he said as he let out a soft sigh.

Anger boiled up inside Sakura at the mention of her daughter and unborn child. “ _I’ll… kill… you…_ ” she managed to grate out, the power of her fury allowing her to finally speak.

Yake paused, clearly surprised that she was able to say a single word, let alone three.

“You should be too paralyzed to speak,” he stated, shock evident in his voice. Sakura growled in reply, finding it a little easier to make sounds now.

He stepped in front of her and raised her head again. “I could have killed you dozens of times now. I was trying to be considerate and let you say goodbye to your daughter before I ended you both. You should be thankful.”

The idea that she should be thankful for anything this man had done infuriated Sakura even further, and she imagined the thousands of ways she’d love tear him apart.

“ _Fuck… you…_ ” she spat at him, finding the effort needed to speak draining what little energy she’d managed to recoup thus far.

An emotion she didn’t recognize flashed through Yake’s eyes, and he narrowed his gaze at her.

“I guess it’s time. Your friends will be here soon. I’m afraid they’ll be too late, though. I wish I could stay and see your husband go mad with grief.”

His grey yukata fluttered softly as he pulled a sword from a sheath on his back.

“She’ll go first. Don’t worry, she’s still asleep. The tranquilizer is strong. She won’t feel a thing.” Yake cocked his head to the side as he continued looking at Sakura. “You should say goodbye now.”

With that said, he walked away to her right again, sword in hand.

Sakura’s eyes widened in alarm as she caught onto his meaning. She heard the soft sounds of breathing next to her as his footsteps stopped. She began to struggle as hard as she could, screaming at her own body to respond as the fear inside her welled to its limits. But all that happened was a small twitch of her hands as she begged inwardly for her body to listen.

Time stopped for her. The sound of metal piercing flesh may have been quiet, but to Sakura it was the loudest noise in the world. It filled her ears and ran itself in her mind over and over again. The scent of iron drifted to her nose, the unmistakable sign of blood. Tears streamed down her face as she tried to scream, only managing short sobbing sounds. She struggled at the restraints again as hard as she could, managing to rattle the chains lightly this time. Still she had nowhere near enough strength to break free.

Her heart clenched in her chest, and her breaths came broken and uneven. The footsteps came near to her again.

“Your turn.”

She felt a dull ache starting in her stomach and radiating out through her right side. Her tears still flowed down her face as she felt her head grow light. It became harder and harder to think. Black edged in slowly around her vision as she watched the man before her appear to melt into a puddle of black on the ground. He gave her one last sorrowful look before dissolving into shadow completely.

“Truly a pity,” said his disembodied voice before the shadow darted away from sight.

Sakura gave one last shuddering breath as the warm darkness encased her.

_Sasuke…_

* * *

Naruto, Tsunade, and Shizune chased after the speeding dogs before them in the night, the glow from Naruto’s Nine-Tails chakra giving them a reliable source of light. They had been running for hours, and dawn was nearly breaking on the horizon now.

The group finally came across a field of destruction.

“ ** _Sakura!_** ” Naruto yelled as he came to a grinding halt in the center of the broken ground, Tsunade and Shizune stopping a few steps behind him. Pakkun was already there, sniffing the upturned dirt.

“She was definitely here,” he said. “A few hours ago.” He followed the scent at a sharp ninety-degree angle. “This way!” he shouted as he resumed his run.

No words were spoken as the ninjas and other canines went after him quickly, all too eager to find their pink haired companion and her daughter. They ran for another ten minutes before encountering the bottom of a cliff side.

“In there!” Pakkun said as he bound towards a cave sparsely covered in ivy.

Naruto searched for any hatred inside the cave, but found none. The lack of negative emotion concerned him more than the presence of one, and he took the lead as he rushed ahead.

“Sakura!” he screamed as he flew through the ivy and entered the chamber, pausing by the entrance. Torches surrounded the inside of a circular room, so nearly extinguished now that it shrouded most of the area in darkness. The sounds of people running soon echoed throughout the cave as Tsunade and Shizune came inside. Naruto pressed forward and his chakra illuminated the room as he did, revealing the grisly sight before them.

Sakura hung against the wall limply, dried blood spilled from a large slice in her body that spanned her navel to her waist and formed a puddle beneath her foot. Next to her hung the small body of Sarada, cut in the same fashion, her green frog pajamas with a crimson stain down her side. Tsunade’s eyes went as wide as saucers. Beside her, Shizune gasped in shock, a shaking hand slowly coming up to her mouth.

“ **Shizune!** Go to Sarada, **_now_**!” Tsunade ordered to snap Shizune back into focus. The blonde sannin dashed forward to her apprentice’s side, past the jinchuriki who was now gripped by fear and motionless in the middle of the room.

Shizune took in a quick breath as she followed Tsunade forward to the young girl on the wall. They each reached out to check for a pulse and flinched away as if burned when they felt only cold skin beneath their fingers.

“Sarada…” Shizune choked out.

“Tsunade-baachan, Shizune-san… you can save them, right?” came the soft whisper from Naruto.

Tsunade’s amber eyes glistened with moisture as she held her fists clenched at her side and averted her gaze to the floor beside her.

“Tsunade-baachan…”

She cringed and clutched her hands tighter, eyes now squinted in pain.

“Shizune-san…”

Shizune bit her bottom lip as tears spilled from her tightly shut eyes, her hands grasped together close to her chest.

Pakkun looked at them all with sorrow evident in his small pug face before exiting the cave slowly, intending to relay the news to Kakashi.

“ ** _TSUNADE-BAACHAN!_** ” Naruto screamed after the silence stretched on for agonizing seconds.

A strangled cry ripped itself from Tsunade’s throat as she fell to her knees, tears she’d tried to hold back flowing freely down her face.

Naruto slowly moved one foot in front of the other as he fought against his body to make it to his old teammate. He reached a trembling hand to her face. He breathed in sharply as he touched her icy skin, willing himself not to pull away. Gently, he lifted her head to look at her. Dull green eyes stared lifelessly back at him, and he froze.

“…Sakura… no… Sakura-chan…” he muttered.

It felt to Naruto like his heart was being torn to shreds as he stood there, unwilling to believe this was real.

“ ** _SAKURA-CHAN!_** ”

Blue eyes clamped shut as his own tears fell. He reached his other hand to her face and cradled it softly, placing his forehead against Sakura’s.

“Sakura-chan…”

Hours passed as they stayed frozen in place before any of them were able to collect themselves enough to remove the bindings that held the bodies to the wall. Naruto cradled Sakura to his chest, and Shizune held Sarada tightly.

Together, they stepped out of the cave and into the warm spring morning, moving slowly towards Konoha.

* * *

Kakashi stood staring out at Konoha blankly from atop the Hokage monuments, a position he’d found himself in all night after sending everyone off after Sakura and Sarada. His body was weary from lack of sleep, but his heart was too heavy to rest. Dawn was cresting over the city, bathing it in a foreboding red glow.

He sensed a presence rushing towards him from the north, and it was upon him in moments. Sasuke sat astride the large bird as it landed next to Kakashi.

“Where are they?!” he yelled.

Kakashi didn’t look at him. He couldn’t. “Go directly south from the main gates,” he said.

Without another word and a loud flap of the hawk’s wings, Sasuke was gone.

Still Kakashi stood. His attention was only broken a half hour later when Pakkun appeared before him in a cloud of smoke.

“Pakkun? What happened?” Kakashi asked with a strained voice.

The small pug glanced up at his master before closing his eyes shut tightly and shaking his head side to side.

Kakashi felt his heart drop from his chest.

“Pakkun…” he whispered.

“I’m sorry, boss. They… both of ‘em…”

And then Kakashi’s world was upside down.

 _Again_ , he thought bitterly, his fists squeezed tight as his body shook with a mixture of repressed anger and depression. _It happened again…_

His eyes slid shut as flashes of Sakura flooded his mind. The photo of old Team 7. Her stammering her love for Sasuke at age 12. Cheering for Naruto during their first chunin exams. Running forward to get between Naruto and Sasuke on the roof of the hospital, where he had to show up and save them all. The sorrow on her face when Sasuke left, and the determination when she lied about her love for him to Naruto years later.

The giggle Sarada gave him as he played with the children at her party. Sakura hugging Sarada to her side as she announced she was pregnant again with a beaming smile.

Slowly, Kakashi sat down where he stood. He gripped the top of his silver-haired head with his gloved hand and stared into his lap in despair as he did something he hadn’t done in years; he wept.

* * *

A day’s journey to the north of Konoha, Karin awoke with a start. She fumbled around for her glasses in the early morning light and slipped them on over her eyes, glancing around at her waking companions as they too slowly roused to the new day.

She tilted her head back to the clouds and furrowed her brow, disquieted at how much the sky looked like blood.

 _Sakura, Sarada…_ she squinted her eyes. _Save them, Sasuke._

* * *

Sasuke flew with the rising sun on his left, skimming just above the treetops as he raced towards the direction Kakashi said to go. Anxiety and fear roiled about in his gut. Something was wrong, and he knew it. He hated himself for leaving. He ground his teeth together as he noticed the familiar visages of Naruto, Tsunade and Shizune in the distance moving in the direction of Konoha.

He recognized the bundle of pink in Naruto’s arms and the small child in Shizune’s, nearly relaxing until he saw the grave looks on their faces. They stopped walking and stared at him overhead as he jumped from the giant bird to land directly in front of their path.

“Sasuke…” Naruto whispered to his best friend. “I’m…” He looked to the side and screwed his eyes shut as a sob escaped him. “Sakura, she… They…”

Sasuke stood still, eyes fixed on the large gash cut through his wife’s side. His gaze flicked over to his daughter and saw the dried blood that clung to her green frog leg.

He felt dizzy as his world fell apart beneath him. In a flash he had taken Sakura from Naruto’s arms and clutched her to his chest, a shuddering breath passing his lips as he felt the chill on her skin. He stared down at her as tears flooded his eyes, making her face appear watery and distorted. Slowly, he felt the love he held for his family change form into rage and hatred. He was losing his mind, the only difference being that he knew it now. He knew it, and he was going to succumb to it regardless.

Anything to numb the pain.

Gently, he laid Sakura on the ground behind him. He brushed her pink bangs from her face lovingly before turning around and taking Sarada from Shizune’s hold. Sasuke placed Sarada on the ground next to her mother and kneeled there for a moment, letting his pain take over.

Naruto watched his movements with growing concern.

“Tsunade-baachan, Shizune-san. Get out of here,” he said lowly as he shifted into a battle stance.

Tsunade snapped her head to him.

“Naruto, I-“

“NOW,” he bellowed, never once taking his eyes off Sasuke’s back.

Shizune looked at Sasuke again and saw the purple fire of his Susanoo slowly start around him and his family. She understood.

“Tsunade,” she said. “We need to leave.”

Tsunade looked grimly between Sasuke and the bodies of Sakura and Sarada, noting the skeletal form of the Susanoo emerge, before nodding. The pair rushed away from the scene.

The silence in the air was heavy as the muscles of Susanoo grew around the skeleton, continuing to enshroud the three.

 

 

> _“Well… what if… I asked you… to take me with you…?” asked a blushing Sakura as she glanced to the ground nervously._
> 
> _Sasuke closed his eyes with regret as he chose his next words carefully. “This is a journey of redemption for me. My sins have nothing to do with you.”_
> 
> _“Nothing to do… with me…?” asked a crestfallen Sakura._
> 
> _Sasuke smiled softly at her and moved forward, right hand tapping her forehead. “I’ll see you when I’m back.”_
> 
> _Her green eyes opened in shock, mouth slightly agape as she stared back at him._
> 
> _“…and thank you.”_

 

“Where were you…?” Sasuke asked under his breath, the Susanoo surrounding him nearly fully formed, lacking only its armor.

“Sasuke… I went after her-“

“But you weren’t _**fast**_ enough.”

Sasuke knew it was wrong, projecting his hatred for himself out on Naruto. But the words slipped out unbidden.

 

 

> _Sakura’s face broke into an exhausted smile as she regarded her daughter, fingers skimming gently over the baby’s forehead before glancing up at her lover._
> 
> _“She’s ours,” she said, her smile becoming wider as she saw the look of adoration on Sasuke’s face._

 

The Susanoo was standing and armored now, taking Sasuke, Sakura, and Sarada with it in the air. A large crossbow aimed at where Naruto stood.

“Where **_were_** you, Naruto?!” Sasuke screamed as he turned his head to look at Naruto over his left shoulder, his six tomoe rinnegan wide and accusing.

Naruto let out a mournful sigh as he slowly shut his eyes, preparing to take the beating that his friend surely needed to give. Anything to help Sasuke release the pain he felt. He stepped back and went into Tailed Beast Mode, knowing he’d need it in order to survive the onslaught to come.

Instantly the arrow was released, giving Naruto barely any time to grip the projectile before it ripped through him. A tail came up reflexively to block the sword that swung at him next, knocking both of them back from the impact.

“Sasuke! You need to calm down!” Naruto shouted.

A spiteful laugh rang in Naruto’s ears.

“Calm down?”

 

> _“You’re five minutes late,” he said to her from the bed as she tried to sneak into the room and failed._
> 
> _“Hmm, am I? I thought I was five minutes early. Let’s call it a compromise.”_
> 
> _He narrowed his eyes at her and smirked at her teasing tone. He could play that way too._
> 
> _“Just get in bed. You said something about how I might like it if I stayed up. So far, I’m not impressed.”_
> 
> _He watched her as she walked halfway out of the dark and stripped for him, a single bare breast and curvy side illuminated by the gentle moonlight. He couldn’t look away if he wanted to; she was gorgeous._
> 
> _She smirked at him and sauntered towards the bed. “That can be changed,” she said as she crawled slowly over his sitting form._
> 
> _“Good,” he replied as he rubbed his hands up her arms, “because that’s not one I’ll let you compromise on.”_
> 
> _He flipped her over and kissed her deeply, intent on making her moan his name until sunrise._  

 

Sasuke shook his head as the moments he shared with Sakura filtered through his mind, wanting to knock them loose. They were only causing him more pain.

“Calm down?!”

Sasuke turned to face Naruto as he continued his bitter howling laughter.

The Susanoo rushed Naruto, sword poised to strike again. When it was close, Sasuke blew a fireball at the large form of the glowing Kurama, forcing Naruto to dodge instead of block.

“You can kick my ass if you want, Sasuke! Just drop the Susanoo,” yelled Naruto.

Sasuke scoffed and a darkened look overtook his face. “I don’t want to kick your ass, Naruto. I want to kill you.”

Naruto growled in response. “Sasuke! Think about Sakura!”

“ _I am thinking about her!_ ” Sasuke shouted back.

“No, you idiot, think about what she’d want! She wouldn’t want this!”

Sasuke bared his teeth at Naruto in anger. “Don’t you talk to me about what she’d want,” he said dangerously as he aimed three arrows at his friend. His sharingan eye went wide and he wept tears of blood.

“Amaterasu,” he said as black flames erupted along the tips of the chakra arrows and he fired them at Naruto.

“Shit!” exclaimed Naruto, barely avoiding getting skewered while he rolled to the right, heat from Amaterasu singing the arm of his tailed beast form. The forest behind him crackled as it caught fire, effectively cutting off any escape he might have found there.

 

 

> _“Daddy’s leaving? But you promised to play with me today…” Sarada frowned from the end of the table. Sasuke leaned over and poked her forehead with his middle and forefinger._
> 
> _“Next time, Sarada.” Her frown deepened, and his heart broke a little to let her down like that. He stood and walked over to pick her up, wanting to give her any comfort he could. He hugged her to his chest. “I promise.”_
> 
> _She leaned back to look at him, her glasses slipping down her nose. “Really?” she questioned._
> 
> _“Really,” he repeated._

 

Sasuke screamed and clutched his head as he thought of his daughter, of how her future was ripped from her. And it was all his fault.

“It’s all your fault!” he shouted aloud, falling to his knees as the Susanoo walked towards the Tailed Beast.

“Sasuke… I know it’s hard! The pain doesn’t lessen over time, but-“

Sasuke’s eyes snapped open as he heard that word, ignoring whatever else it was Naruto had to say.

 

 

> _“Sakura, I don’t have the time to-“ He was cut off by her mouth on his once again._
> 
> _“Then make time,” she said against his lips forcefully, determined to get her way. “Make time for me.”_

 

The sentence echoed through his head over and over. Make time. Make time. Make time for me. Make time for them.

He knew what he had to do now.

Slowly the Susanoo unraveled, lowering the three of them back to the ground. Naruto watched in confusion, wondering if maybe he’d finally gotten through to his best friend. He released his Tailed Beast form and moved to stand a short distance in front of Sasuke, still wary of what he may do next.

The crazed look that had adorned his friends face previously was gone, and in its place was a serene peace as he stared down at Sakura and Sarada.

“Naruto…” Sasuke said softly. “I’ve got just enough chakra for this so… Make sure they know I love them. And… tell Sakura that I want her to find happiness again. Her and Sarada.”

Naruto looked at Sasuke in confusion. “Sasuke?”

Sasuke lifted his head to give Naruto a genuine smile, his eyes crinkling upwards in joy. “And protect them when I’m gone, dobe.”

Naruto blinked at Sasuke, still not understanding his words.

Then Sasuke took a deep breath and made the proper seals before he whispered…

“Rinne Tensei.”


	6. Promise

_What?_

"-KE!"

_My head feels so…_

"-SUKE!"

_What's going on? Is that Naruto?_

" _SASUKE!"_

… _Sasuke?_

Green eyes flew open to see the bright blue sky above peppered with small white clouds. She felt the hard forest dirt beneath her, dried and dead pine needles sticking uncomfortably into her back. Beside her she heard someone whispering, then a soft scoff.

"Like I'd let you go without saying goodbye to her yourself, teme."

Slowly, Sakura turned her head to the left. Naruto sat next to her, his watery blue eyes red rimmed and tear tracks stained into dirty whiskered cheeks. She followed the direction of his gaze toward his lap and locked her emerald eyes with familiar black ones. They bore a warmth for her she wasn't sure she'd ever seen before, and it captivated her completely.

Fingertips brushed her forehead, down her cheek and across her lips as she remained spellbound.

"Sakura…"

The sound of Sasuke's voice brought her crashing back to reality, to her recent memories of trying to save Sarada. She gasped in shock and sat upright while she searched frantically.

"Sasuke!" she yelled. "Where's Sarada?! He hurt her, oh God, he hurt her. Where is she?!"

A weak hand found hers and squeezed, the light touch spurring her to look at him again.

He gave her a small smile. "You're safe. Both of you."

Despite his reassuring words, Sakura felt fear. Something was wrong.

"Sasuke?" She reached her hand out to his face, finally noticing the slightly dull and glassy look to his eyes.

Sakura looked up at Naruto after a silent moment. The blond jinchuriki had his eyes shut and his head turned, doing his best to not take this moment away from his two best friends. But she needed answers.

"Naruto? What… what happened?"

Naruto's eyebrows knitted, as if in pain. She recognized that look. She'd seen him bear it a few times before – grief of loss, and anger at not being able to fix it.

"Naruto!"

He opened his eyes and stared at the ground before slowly turning to fix Sakura with a sad smile.

"You and Sarada... He saved you both, Sakura. Only he could."

The soft sound of the sword piercing her daughter rang loud through her ears once again. She smelled blood and felt a phantom pain radiate in her abdomen shortly after, dull like it had been when she received it.

"He used Rinne Tensei."

Understanding flooded through her at that moment. Sasuke was dying because he'd used the rebirth jutsu. He'd used it to revive her and Sarada. She and Sarada had _died_.

She remembered Obito, and how he'd managed to hang on and fight even after using it himself. He'd had help. Help from black Zetsu, and from her. Could her seal save him?

Without a second thought, Sakura reached for Sasuke and tried to release the seal to her Strength of a Hundred. She tensed and hoped as she waited for that recognizable tingle to flow through her system.

But there was nothing.

The seal that she'd stored chakra in for three years and held for many more had faded with her death. Despair washed over her, chilling her to the core. She felt powerless again, just as she had when she couldn't save Sarada.

"Sasuke!" she yelled, causing both males to give a small wince at the volume.

"Sakura, not so loud," Sasuke admonished with a lazy grin.

Sakura turned back to Naruto, her panic being pushed to the side by her medic training. She had to try everything. She pushed herself closer to Sasuke and removed his head from Naruto's lap to place it in her own.

"I'm… going to check on Sarada," Naruto said as he stood and walked away. He looked behind him only once as he left, stealing a last glance at the pair of people that meant so much to him.

Sakura was too focused on the man she loved to notice Naruto leave. She pushed healing chakra into her hands and focused on Sasuke's chest, but gasped as she sensed what was happening in his body. He was dying slowly, losing chakra at a steady pace until it would eventually reach zero. He was nearly through all the chakra that Naruto had given him. That was the only reason he'd even lasted so long to begin with. She couldn't heal this kind of damage with just medical jutsu. He was deteriorating in too many places at once.

If only she'd had her seal.

She clenched her eyes shut as the tears came to them, trying to will her sorrow away so she could think of some other method to save him.

"It's alright, Sakura. I told you I'd always make time for you..." Sasuke began coughing then, rolling until he lay on his side. His body wracked with the force of it, and the tears Sakura had tried to hold back came freely.

"Sasuke, I-" she cut herself off with a sob, unable to keep her emotions in check long enough to speak.

She felt a tap on her forehead and her eyes snapped open to look at the man before her. His gaze was still so soft, so loving. Sasuke had no regrets, and he was trying to make her understand that in his own way. She knew then that she couldn't look away again – crying or not, she had to be with him for every moment he had left.

"Sakura," he whispered, "I can't live without you. Not anymore. It's better this way."

His words sent a flare of anger through her belly. How could he think this was better? Did he really put so little value on his own life? Sakura grit her teeth, opting to bite down on her words instead. She didn't want to taint this moment.

Her eyes gave her away.

Sasuke chuckled at her. "Don't look at me like that," he said. "You would have done the same thing, and you know it."

Sakura couldn't argue that fact, but it did little to abate the pain.

"You… damn it!" she ground out. She forced herself to breathe in and out steadily a few times, and the mechanical motion of it helped to calm her down enough to manage a question. "How am I supposed to go on without you, Sasuke?" Sakura trailed her fingers down his cheek before cradling it in the palm of her right hand. "What are we supposed to do now?" She sobbed again, her chest heaving as she inhaled sharply after each sound.

Sasuke closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. "You find happiness again. I know you can."

She shook her head and began to stroke his ebony hair with a shaky hand. "I love you, Sasuke. I can't love anyone else like I do you."

He opened his eyes again and fixed her with a stare that held so many emotions she couldn't place them all.

"Promise me, Sakura. Promise me you'll find someone to love you when I can't."

"Sasuke…" her voice wavered and her lower lip trembled as she looked into his dark eyes. They seemed hazier than before, and the realization tore at her heart.

"Promise me," he said with as much determination as he could give. He too knew his time was almost at an end.

Sakura warred with herself. She didn't know how to make a promise like that, let alone keep it. Sasuke and Sarada were her world. But these were his last moments. He deserved to hear that she'd be happy again, even if she didn't know how. She couldn't be selfish and let him leave with regrets, not now.

And so she schooled her face into one of resolve and calmed her racing heart. Not to his request, but to him; to the life and love that they shared. She didn't think she'd ever find love again, not without him. She couldn't even imagine it. But she refused to let him die with that weight on his soul. She couldn't do that to him. So she'd bear it. For Uchiha Sasuke, the love of her life… she'd bear it.

Slowly, she nodded. "I promise."

Sasuke gave her a bright smile, and again she was ensnared by the warmth she felt from it. "Thank you, Sakura… for everything."

His black eyes slid closed, and a shaky breath was released over his pale lips.

All the pain, anger, and despair that had been pooling inside her welled up suddenly. She hunched over his body and buried her face into his chest.

A haunted wail ripped itself from her throat as she clutched him closer.

She was a woman undone.

* * *

Shizune gripped Sarada tightly to her chest as the sounds of Sakura's cries carried on the wind past them. Sarada squirmed, protesting the vice like hold the black haired woman had on her.

"Mommy!" she yelled. "I want to see mommy!"

Shizune rubbed the back of Sarada's head gently, trying to calm the girl down. "Shhh. You'll see her soon, sweetheart. It'll all be okay."

Shizune knew it wasn't entirely true. Naruto had found her and Tsunade and brought them back, explaining along the way what Sasuke had done.

She felt so torn then. The relief at seeing Sarada alive and well in Naruto's arms had been immense, but she knew the high cost that came with it. They all did.

They stood back in the forest, far enough away from Sakura so she wouldn't be distracted by the sounds of Sarada's tantrum. It was nearly a half hour before the howls of pain from Sakura subsided.

"We should go back… I'll go get her," Naruto said.

"No," Tsunade replied firmly. "Get closer, but… she's not ready yet. We'll take Sarada back."

Shizune nodded. "We'll take care of her. Stay with Sakura."

Naruto sighed heavily in resignation and looked at the ground. "Yeah… alright."

Tsunade came up next to him and placed a hand on his upper back, causing him to look at her in question.

"This isn't something you can help her with right now, Naruto. Just be there." Her honey colored eyes met his bright blue ones and he saw the scars of her past swimming in their depths. She was speaking from experience. He nodded at her, and she turned away.

"Let's go, Shizune."

Naruto turned back towards Sakura and made his way there unhurried, deep in thought. When he found them again, he could have mistaken the sight as a statue were it not for the tiny shakes of her body and the quiet gasps that escaped her. The speed at which his own anguish reignited left him nauseous in its wake.

He took in the still form of Sasuke and felt the tears form again. He tore his gaze away then, unable to keep watching. Instead he turned around and placed his back against a tree, angling himself so he could see just a fuzzy splash of pink in the corner of his vision. Naruto slid down the bark, uncaring at how the motion caused his jacket to lift and how the bark dug into his lower back as he sagged down on the ground. What did it matter, anyway?

Sasuke was his rival, teammate, friend… They were the reincarnated brothers of Asura and Indra. The amount of bonds they shared was immense, and it was thanks to them that Naruto became the man he was today.

Death wouldn't break them, but it sure as hell would leave them bruised and battered.

_Sasuke… you stupid, brilliant, amazing bastard._

* * *

 

Kakashi was sitting in his office chair, having abandoned his spot on the monuments hours ago. His elbows were on his desk and fingerless gloved hands entangled in his silver strands of hair as he stared blankly downwards. The overwhelming sorrow hadn't left him yet, but for now the tears had. He was no stranger to these emotions. Nobody was, ninjas especially. He knew it would never get any easier. Still, every time he lost or failed someone, he couldn't shake the idea that if he'd just been there faster, or done something better, things would have turned out _differently_.

If he'd just listened to Obito about saving Rin, they would have been prepared to take out the enemies. He wouldn't have lost an eye, and would have seen the boulder long before it was about to crush him. Obito wouldn't have to rescue him. The whole Infinite Tsukuyomi and Fourth Great War would never have happened how it did, if it happened at all.

_It would be different._

If he'd been faster in rescuing Rin, maybe he could have gotten there before she had the three tails placed inside her. Or he could have listened to her when she said she couldn't go back instead of being so single minded on returning to Konoha. They could have taken out those ninjas together, and found some way to break Madara's control on her. She would have been a jinchuriki, but she'd be alive. He wouldn't have nightmares about plunging his hand through her chest, while she stared at him like he was the only thing that mattered in her world. He wouldn't hear his name hang on her bloody lips as her life left her.

_Very different._

And Sakura… He shouldn't have sent Sasuke away. He should have realized it was a trap to lure the Uchiha out and away from his wife and daughter. It was obvious, in hindsight. He was so concerned about the rumors surrounding Sasuke and what that might mean for the shinobi world that he didn't even consider it was all a ploy. Why didn't he get a hunch about that? What good was having a keen mind if he couldn't save the ones he cared about? Sarada was kidnapped, Sakura fell into a trap, and both were murdered. All because of his own ignorance. If only he'd paid more attention.

_Things would be so very different._

Kakashi lifted his head and sighed while he ran his hands down his masked face. He knew he shouldn't blame himself for what happened in the past. He'd heard over and over again that these things weren't his fault. And he knew that he'd always tried his damnedest in every situation. But anxiety is a bitch and, despite outward appearances, Kakashi had it in droves. He'd gotten better at pushing it away when he needed to, yet it always came back around in the end.

Just then, the doors to his office swung wide and slammed into the walls. The noisy entrance made him look up at the offender with a frown, ready to lay into whoever it was. The words caught in his throat as he saw Tsunade standing in the doorway, hands on her hips as she leveled a glare at him.

"You look like shit."

Kakashi gave a derisive snort.

"Pardon me for mourning the loss of my friend and her daughter."

Tsunade grinned at him then, and he found the sight of it disturbing at such a time.

"Then you'll be happy to know that they're alive and well."

Kakashi blinked at her for a few moments, wondering if she'd perhaps lost her mind. The death of Sakura and Sarada was not something Pakkun would have lied or joked about.

"Don't look at me like that, Kakashi. I'm not insane."

He narrowed his two dark eyes at her, clearly debating the veracity of that statement. Maybe he was the one losing his mind? Did he finally snap, and she's some hallucination brought about by stress and fear?

"Sasuke used Rinne Tensei and brought them back to life. Both of them."

Kakashi's eyes went wide in shock. He hadn't even considered the notion that it was possible for Sasuke to do such a thing, though it made sense. Sasuke did have the rinnegan, and his love and loyalty for his family was all-consuming.

"Then," he broached, "Sasuke is…"

Tsunade closed her eyes and nodded before looking at him again.

"He sacrificed himself."

Kakashi stared at Tsunade while his mind raced with this new information. The relief he felt at hearing that Sakura and Sarada were alive and well was great, but it did little to assuage his guilt. The blame for their death still fell squarely on his shoulders, or so he thought. And now he had Sasuke's sacrifice to add to his growing pile of failures.

"Shizune brought Sarada to their house and is waiting there with her now. Naruto is with Sakura and Sasuke. They'll be back soon." Tsunade crossed her arms under her chest and shifted her weight to her right heel. "I know what you're thinking. You're going to kill yourself with all that stress."

Kakashi said nothing in reply, but averted his eyes downwards.

Tsunade sighed. "I'm going to Sakura's house. Shizune and I will stay in the Uchiha compound for a few days. Sakura will need all the help she can get right now."

Kakashi nodded in understanding. "I'll place ANBU around her home as well."

Tsunade studied him for a few moments longer. "You know," she finally said, "she isn't going to blame you for what happened. You don't need to ask for her forgiveness."

He shook his head. "I wouldn't even know where to start."

Tsunade gave a small hum in reply before turning on her heel and marching out of his office, not bothering to close the doors behind her.

Kakashi leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling, hoping in vain that it would provide him some sort of guidance on what to do next.

"How do I even look at her again?" he asked the empty room.

"Look at who again?" came a reply he was not expecting. He locked eyes with Genma as he looked towards the doorway again.

There before him stood the team he'd sent Sasuke to, and while he was happy that they were alive and well, the sight of them only reminded him of his mistake.

Karin pushed forward past the senbon-chewing Genma. "Where's Sasuke? Sakura, Sarada? Are they okay?" she asked distraughtly.

Kakashi slouched his shoulders. "Sarada was kidnapped, and Sakura went after her alone. She fell into a trap and they were both… killed."

A gasp escaped Karin as her red eyes went large, and her hands came up to cover her mouth.

"Oh my god… no…"

"Sasuke used Rinne Tensei to bring them back to life."

Karin froze. Her eyes filled with tears and they fell silently down her face.

"Oh Sasuke…"

She turned abruptly and ran from the room. She didn't know where she was going yet, she just knew she needed to get out of that office and away from the news she'd just been dealt.

The remaining men stood still, each digesting this information in their own way. Yamato felt mainly relief at knowing Sakura and her daughter were safe, though he knew what the pain of Sasuke's sacrifice would do to her. Kiba and Shino were more conflicted, having finally accepted Sasuke as a fellow Leaf shinobi and academy classmate again. Genma wasn't too acquainted with Sakura or Sasuke. He respected them, but there was little he could do to help Sakura now. Kakashi was a different story. They were friends from the academy days, and Genma liked to think he knew how the silver haired Hokage functioned.

And right now, Genma was worried. He'd seen that expression before, and he hated it more and more every time. It wasn't like him to let his comrades stay down on themselves, and he wasn't going to change that now. There would definitely need to be some drunken heart to heart in their future, he'd make sure of it.

Kakashi cleared his throat to get their attention. "You have a report?"

Yamato shook himself from his thoughts. "Ah, yes, Hokage-sama."

"Go ahead, Tenzou."

* * *

Karin's legs burned as she ran down the street, vision blurred by the moisture in her eyes. Her heart felt fractured. It broke when she heard about Sakura and Sarada, then nearly fell to pieces when she learned what Sasuke did. She had wanted him to save them, but she had never thought he'd die in the process. She had never imagined that he wouldn't get there in time. She loved Sakura and Sarada, but to lose Sasuke… was it worth it?

She stopped at the dark turn of her own thoughts, ashamed that they had even crossed her mind at all. She looked up and saw the Uchiha banner overhead, slightly shocked that her body had brought her here, of all places. With shaky legs, she walked forward and into the compound. She was in a daze as she wandered the empty streets before finally standing in front of Sasuke and Sakura's home.

Karin stood in front of the door, unsure if she was ready to face reality. The choice was taken from her when the door swung open. An irritated blonde woman stood in the doorway, sizing her up and down with an apprehensive gaze.

"Who are you?"

The red haired woman gulped and adjusted her glasses in a nervous habit. "I-I'm Karin."

A blonde eyebrow arched. "And?"

"I delivered Sarada. I'm a friend to Sasuke and Sakura."

"KARIN!"

Sarada pushed through Tsunade's legs with surprising force and ran at Karin, arms spread wide. The dark haired toddler gripped onto Karin's legs tightly and buried her head in Karin's thigh. She rubbed her face back and forth as she cried, spreading tears and snot with each movement. Karin was beyond caring about something so trivial at the moment, utterly taken aback by the little girl for whom she'd suddenly become an anchor.

… _It was worth it_ , she thought to herself.

"They won't let me see mommy!" Sarada yelled.

Karin's chest ached as Sarada clung to her. "Shhh," she said as she patted the top of the girl's head. "Mommy will be here soon."

Sarada looked up at Karin, her lips quivering. "And daddy?"

Karin inhaled quickly as she felt the fractures crack even further. She gulped down the tightness in her throat and leaned down to pick Sarada up into her arms. She stood straight up and placed her forehead against Sarada's.

"Let's get you cleaned up and down for a nap, okay? Mommy will be back by the time you're awake."

Sarada paused to stare at Karin as she considered the offer. She nodded finally, and Karin smiled sadly back at her. She placed the girl back on the ground, took her by the hand, and led her to the bathroom.

Karin had Sarada ready and in bed within five minutes. Though Karin had gone through the motions of preparing Sarada for a nap, it had all felt so automatic. Her limbs moved, but she didn't actually feel it. She walked into the living room and curled into a ball in the corner of the couch before resuming her hushed crying.

It wasn't until a few hours later that she heard the front door open and a person walk inside. Bright red eyes met emerald, and there they locked. Neither woman moved as they looked upon the other. The silence unsettled Karin. She got off the couch and was about to let Sakura know that Sarada was napping, then maybe leave, when she was pulled into a strong embrace.

Sakura rested her forehead on Karin's shoulder, her body trembling as she held on tightly. Karin stood with her arms by her side. She hadn't been sure what to expect, but this definitely wasn't it. The sounds of Sakura's heartache wrenched away what little control she had left over her own sentiments, and she hesitantly wrapped her arms around Sakura. Before long, she too wept.

Together, the two women mourned the loss of the man they loved.


	7. Move In / Get Out

 

" _You should say goodbye now."_

_Metal sliced through cloth and flesh, the sound of it echoing in her head until she thought she'd lose her mind. The scent of blood was thick and fresh._

" _Your turn."_

_A dull ache extended from her stomach out through her side, then the world went black._

The sound of an ear-shattering scream caused Sakura to sit up from her bed quickly. Her breaths came fast and shallow as she clumsily swung her legs to the floor and ran out of her bedroom. She skid to a halt in front of Sarada's room and pushed the door open.

The dark haired toddler was sitting up in her bed, rubbing her bleary eyes.

"Mommy?"

A man wearing a cat-like white mask with red crescent moons around the eyes and dark green markings surrounding those appeared next to Sakura in a flash. High on adrenaline, Sakura reacted on instinct the instant she felt his presence. She thrust her forearm against the stranger's chest and pushed him harshly into the wall, creating a large dent that cracked and radiated out from behind his back. Emerald eyes burned with rage and fear as she glared at him.

The man was coughing and sputtering as he tried to process what just happened. Sakura cocked her other arm back, preparing to give the intruder a well-placed chakra powered punch clear through the house. He looked like ANBU, but Sakura didn't particularly care at the moment.

Noticing his imminent demise, the unknown man raised his hands up by his face in surrender.

"Wait, wait, wait! Sakura-san!"

The familiar voice made her pause her arm mid-swing, halting mere inches from the nose of his mask. With a shaky hand, the man slowly pulled the mask from his face. Startled black eyes stared at her, wary of what she might do next.

Sakura blinked a few times as she took in the features of the person before her.

"…Yamato-taichou?"

Just then, Karin came bolting down the hallway, nearly colliding into Sakura where she still held Yamato firmly against the wall.

"Sakura! I heard a scream, what's goi- Yamato?"

He gave a nervous laugh and a false smile. "Um… Hi Karin, Sakura-san. Could you let me down now, please?"

Sakura released him from her grip and took a step back, eyeing him cautiously for any sudden movements.

Yamato carefully placed a hand behind his head and rubbed his scalp in an anxious gesture.

"I guess Kakashi-senpai neglected to tell you a few things." He removed the hand from his head and placed it closed-fist on his chest before bowing. "My apologies, Sakura-san. I did not mean to scare you. I heard a scream and rushed in."

Sakura let out a sigh and shook her head as she ran her fingers through her short pink hair.

"Stop. It's okay. I'm sorry I slammed you into a wall."

He smiled brightly at her. "Ah, I should have known better than to show up suddenly behind a worried mother."

She gave a tight smile in reply. Sarada climbed out of her bed, slipped her glasses on her face and hid behind her mother's legs as she stared out into the hallway.

"Did he scare you, mommy?"

Sakura twisted her body slightly and angled her head down at her daughter. "What do you mean, honey?"

Sarada clung to Sakura's left leg. "You screamed."

She hesitated, not having realized it was her own cries that awoke her so violently. She placed her hand on top of her daughter's black head of hair and rubbed it soothingly.

"No, it wasn't him. I had a bad dream."

The toddler nodded and pulled closer to her mom. Sakura looked back at Yamato, a frown fixed upon her fair features.

"Why are you here?"

Yamato's smile faded a little, taking on a more professional look. "The Hokage has issued a small ANBU guard for you both for the time being. I volunteered to be one of them. Though I was under the impression you were aware..."

Sakura shook her head and grimaced. "I came straight home instead of reporting to Kakashi. I've been… distracted."

She'd have to talk to Kakashi about this ANBU guard. The effort to ensure her safety was well-received, but she had a feeling she was going to be continually plagued by nightmares. Flooding her system with adrenaline and knocking fellow Leaf shinobi, or friends in this case, unconscious or through the walls of her home was not her idea of a good wake-up routine. In fact, if it had been any ANBU other than Yamato, she wouldn't have recognized the voice and held her punch like she had.

Yamato nodded in understanding. "I heard about what happened, Sakura-san… my condolences for your loss."

Sakura flinched as his statement picked at the raw wound in her heart. She forced herself to meet his gaze and gave a cheerless eye-crinkling smile in response.

An awkward tension filled the air around them until Karin cleared her throat to diffuse it.

"Uh, anybody hungry? I can make breakfast…" she offered timidly.

Sarada slid past her mother and out of the doorway before stopping in front of Karin, pulling at her pajama-clad legs.

"I want pancakes."

The ruby-haired woman gave Sarada a soft smile and reached for her hand. "Let's go then," she said as she led the toddler down the hallway and towards the kitchen.

Sakura watched the pair walk away, sorrow etched in her face. Yamato placed his mask back in its proper position and looked at Sakura.

"I'll go back outside to guard then. If you need me, just shout," he said, before cringing when the pain in his back reminded him that was exactly what got him nearly pounded into oblivion a few minutes ago. "Or… maybe not," he added with a humorless chuckle.

Sakura's lips twitched up in a half-smile briefly. "So long as you let me know you're there _before_ showing up behind me, you should be fine."

He simply nodded in reply and then dashed back out the way he came, which was apparently through Sakura's bedroom window.

She sighed as she stared at the large body shaped dent in her hallway wall, not looking forward to fixing it anytime soon. Slowly she made her way to the kitchen, the clamor of metal on metal signaling that breakfast would be ready shortly. A child's giggle drifted from the cooking space, and the sound of it was both elating and agonizing.

She and Sarada were alive, and for that she was ever grateful. But the price Sasuke paid for this reality bore a heavy weight on her soul. Her chest constricted painfully as she thought of her husband, and she bit her bottom lip as tears brimmed and threatened to fall. The desire to give into her grief was overwhelming, yet she knew she had to put on a strong face for her daughter.

Sakura leaned against the wall outside the kitchen and forced herself to breathe deeply as she clutched the front of her night shirt tightly, shuddering on every exhale. A small tug at her pajama pants snapped her attention downwards, and her glassy green eyes met with concerned black ones. Sarada furrowed her brow as she noticed the moisture in her mother's eyes.

"Are you okay, mama?"

Quickly, Sakura tried to compose herself and gave her daughter an unconvincing smile.

"I'm fine, honey."

She frowned. Sarada may be young, but she was perceptive for her age.

"You're lying."

Sakura's smile faltered and she swallowed the lump in her throat. She kneeled down and pulled her young girl into a hug, taking the opportunity to collect her emotions fully.

"You're right, I am. I'm sorry I lied. But I'll be okay soon, baby."

Sarada pushed out of her mom's grasp to look at her once again, clearly studying her face for any dishonesty. After a moment, she was satisfied and nodded. She grabbed Sakura's hand and tugged her towards the kitchen, the scent of freshly made pancakes growing stronger with every step.

Once there, Sarada let go of her mom's hand to bound over next to Karin, eager to eat the fluffy and delicious breakfast. Sakura grabbed some plates and doled out two cakes to a dish before walking out of the room to set them on the dining table. Karin followed shortly after her with butter, syrup, and utensils. Sarada bounced in excitement all the way to her seat, and both Sakura and Karin couldn't help but chuckle at the unabashed display of happiness. Sakura lifted Sarada into her chair, then turned around and cut the toddler's breakfast into small bite-sized morsels laden with syrupy goodness. Sarada nearly squealed with joy as her mother handed her the fork.

Sakura took her place at the table and stared down at her portion. Normally she enjoyed pancakes, but today she had little appetite. She knew she had to eat, however, so she spread a small amount of butter and syrup on it before picking it apart. A few meager bites later, and Sakura felt utterly stuffed. Pushing the plate away, she looked across at Karin to see that she was not alone. A sad, knowing smile spread across Sakura's lips as she watched the red-head push bits of pancake around with her fork.

Sakura had always felt a bond with Karin, but their friendship was mainly through Sasuke. Never had Sakura been worried about Karin's love for Sasuke, as he made it very clear he thought of her only platonically. Her heart had always sympathized with Karin – she knew the misery of unrequited love. She also knew that, even if unreturned, the love Karin harbored for Sasuke was very real. Though she wished this sadness on no one, she found comfort in the fact that at least _someone_ truly knew how she felt right now. Last night, the two of them had shared their despair, and Sakura wondered if maybe they could help each other heal.

"Karin?"

Said woman appeared to shake herself from deep thought at the sound of her name and looked up at Sakura.

"Yes?"

"I was wondering… would you like to stay here?"

Karin knitted her eyebrows in confusion, then adjusted her glasses nervously.

"Stay? As in for the day?" she questioned.

Sakura smiled softly. "No. I meant, we have a guest room, and… well, it'd be nice to have you around. How would you feel about moving in for a while?"

Karin's mouth went slightly agape at Sakura's offer, and she stared blankly at the pink haired woman. The silence stretched, and Sakura wondered if maybe she'd been alone in her thoughts.

"I'm sorry, if you're not comfortable I won't be offended if you sa-"

"I'd love to," Karin interjected, a warm smile on her face, and Sakura returned it graciously.

At the end of the table, Sarada looked back and forth between the two women.

"What about daddy?" she questioned innocently. Both women winced, causing Sarada to frown. "You should ask him first."

Sakura turned her head away and bit her lower lip again before releasing it and facing her child. "There's something I have to tell you, honey."

Sarada stared at her mother, her confusion evident.

Karin stood quickly, gathering the dirty dishes and utensils from around the table. Only Sarada had finished her meal. Sakura also stood, but she picked Sarada up instead, carried her to the living room and sat her down on the couch. Taking the seat beside her, Sakura turned to give Sarada her full attention.

"You remember yesterday, right? Auntie Shizune and Tsunade brought you back home, and I was gone for a little while?"

Sarada nodded.

"Well, we were in a very bad situation. Daddy came and rescued us. He saved us. But," Sakura swallowed a new lump in her throat as she tried to continue, "he... it cost him his life doing it."

The little girl furrowed her brow in confusion once again.

"Cost… his life?"

Sakura felt so unsure of how to explain further. She'd never prepared for something like this.

"Baby, daddy… daddy died to save us. He can't come back," she said softly.

Dark black eyes shimmered with moisture as understanding slowly settled in. Sarada already knew what death was.

"Daddy… died?"

Sakura nodded, not trusting her ability to form words as she stared into her daughter's sad, glimmering black eyes.

Sarada's tears began to flow then. She launched herself at her mother and gripped her body tightly as she cried out in loud hiccupping sobs. Sakura embraced her in response, her own tears silent.

In the kitchen, Karin hunched over the sink of dirty dishes, her eyes clenched at the sounds of Sarada's sorrow, drops of salty liquid forming ripples in the soapy water as they cascaded from her cheeks.

It was quite a while before the little girl's sobs quieted, and longer still until anyone in the house moved. The hot water Karin had drawn for cleaning the plates had become cold, and she sighed as she drained the sink before she refilled it. It wasn't until after she turned off the water that Sarada spoke again, and it was so muffled by the walls that Karin almost didn't hear it.

"If daddy died saving us… he's a hero, right?"

Karin was shocked and yet so proud of Sarada for coping with the death of a loved one better than she ever could. Of course Sarada was still upset, but she was clearly a strong girl. She whispered a breathless 'yes' just as she heard the same word echoed from the mouth of Sakura.

Karin scrubbed the dishes clean one by one, thankful for the clatter of ceramic and metal to drown out any further conversation. She had no desire to overhear anything that may cause her to lose control of her emotions again. Her mind drifted to Sakura's offer of moving into the home, and she found herself surprised that she was eager to do so. The idea of being alone at her apartment was unappealing, and she was glad that Sakura felt the same. Thankfully she didn't own many possessions, bringing them over wouldn't take very long at all. One afternoon, and she wouldn't have to suffer by herself.

She heard a loud knock on the door, and then Sakura's footsteps as she moved to answer it. A voice she vaguely recognized greeted Sakura, and the woman replied in kind. The chatter continued for a few minutes, until she heard the door close again. Soft footsteps made their way to the kitchen, and she turned to see Sakura enter.

Sakura moved to stand beside Karin, and grabbed a clean dish towel along the way. She picked up the wet plates and dried each slowly before placing them in the cupboards.

"I'll go and get my things today," Karin said as she cleaned the last fork, breaking the comfortable silence. "I don't have much. I should be done before lunch."

Sakura smiled at her and took the utensil from her hand. "Tsunade and Shizune came by to take Sarada to the park for a few hours, so I'll help you."

Karin was once again shocked by Sakura's offer. The woman had already embraced her and shared her pain, let her stay the night, then said she could have the guest room for an unspecified amount of time. Now she wanted to help her move too? Did her kindness know no bounds?

She shook her head quickly, red strands of hair swaying side to side. "I couldn't possibly ask you to do that. You've already done so much for me."

Sakura chuckled lightly at her. "You didn't ask for anything. I offered because I want to."

"But, Sakura…" She tried to start a sentence, but found she had no way to continue it. Karin was made speechless yet again, which was a weird feeling for her.

"Please? I insist."

She stared into Sakura's green eyes and finally nodded in acceptance.

Sakura beamed at her. "Good. Just let me go get changed, and we'll head out."

The pink-haired woman left the kitchen, and Karin couldn't help but watch in awe at how elegantly she moved. It seemed to her as though Sakura was nearly the perfect woman. Kind, loving, beautiful – full of grace with everything she did. She might have a short temper, but she seemed to channel that energy into protecting her loved ones as best she can. _Sasuke… I get it now,_ Karin thought.

She moved towards the front door and slipped her sandals on over her feet while she waited for Sakura to return. Within five minutes, Sakura came around the corner and put her own shoes on. Karin opened the door and stepped outside, Sakura following and closing the door behind them. An ANBU member, who they now knew was Yamato, jumped from the roof of the house to follow behind them as they walked down the streets.

Sakura twisted her head to the side to see Yamato.

"How does your back feel?" she called out to him.

"It still hurts," he admitted.

Sakura felt guilty at injuring him, and for completely forgetting to heal him afterwards. She stopped and turned around to walk back towards him.

"Here, let me help," she said. He paused for a moment before nodding and turning around.

Her hands glowed with a soft green light as she healed his back, taking note of the damage as she did. Yep, she'd certainly done a number on him. His ribs were cracked in a few places, and a large bruise had already begun to form along his shoulders from where the impact hit hardest. It only took a few minutes to repair the damage, and she patted his back gently when she was done.

"There you go. I'm sorry I didn't think to do that earlier."

He turned around and she saw his eyes crease in what she assumed to be a smile, though it was hard to tell with the mask.

"It's no problem, really. I would have gone to the hospital at the end of my shift anyway. I wasn't in a terrible amount of pain."

She smiled softly at him and turned back around to resume her walk towards Karin's apartment.

The rest of the journey was silent, but not unpleasantly so. Both women were engrossed in their thoughts of what this new rooming situation might bring.

* * *

Karin hadn't been kidding when she said she didn't have many things. Two trash bags filled with clothes and one armful of books later, Karin was fully moved into Sakura's house. The whole process had taken less than an hour. It was barely ten in the morning, and now Sakura had no idea what she was going to busy herself with. She would have offered to put Karin's clothes away with her, but that seemed a little too personal. The guest room was now Karin's room, and she had no desire to intrude on the woman's private space. Everybody needed their own, after all.

A knock on the door got Sakura's attention, and she walked towards it, eager for some kind of distraction. There stood Ino, Hinata, and Temari. Their expressions all ranged from pity to concern, and Sakura shifted uncomfortably where she stood. She wasn't fond of being looked at like she was about to break, even if she _felt_ like she was.

"Hi, girls…" she said.

Ino was the first to shatter the tension as she threw arms over Sakura's shoulders to pull her into a hug.

"I'm so sorry, Sakura," she said.

Sakura scoffed. "What happened to calling me Forehead?"

Ino released Sakura and took a short step back before shaking her head. "Not right now."

Sakura scrunched her nose up in distaste. She might feel fractured, but she had hoped her best friend wouldn't treat her like glass because of it.

Temari stepped forward then and also embraced Sakura. The straw-blonde woman had never been overly fond of Sasuke, but Sakura was another story. She'd saved Kankuro's life, and Temari had decided long ago that she'd do anything she could to help Sakura when she could. She wasn't too great with emotional things, but she'd do her best anyway. So when Ino and Hinata showed up to tell her and Shikamaru what happened, she'd jumped up and gone out the door immediately.

Temari released Sakura from the embrace and placed her hands on the pink-haired woman's shoulders before locking eyes with her.

"If you need my help for _anything,_ please let me know."

Sakura returned the gaze and was surprised that she didn't see pity or concern there. Instead, Temari's forest green eyes held only admiration. She knew that Temari still held her in high regard for saving Kankuro, but seeing the look on her face was still a bit shocking. She'd always heard from Shikamaru about how much Temari was a pain and a bother to deal with, and her personal interactions with the woman had been either unpleasant (pre-Kankuro), or brief (post-Kankuro).

Nevertheless, she found herself thankful that Temari was here. It was nice to be viewed as a person, not something fragile.

"Hi, Sakura" Hinata said a tad timidly. She came forward and gave Sakura a small hug, unable to get too close because of her large stomach. Hinata stepped back and clasped her hands in front of her extended belly, then her head bowed slightly. The sight of the pregnant woman made Sakura remember something very important.

Sakura's hand clutched at the fabric in front of her own stomach, and the sudden movement caught her visitors' attention. They all looked at her curiously as she stared off into space, lost in her own thoughts.

She had been sliced through her abdomen, killed, and then revived. Was it even possible she was still pregnant? Her seal had been lost, but that didn't mean a fetus would be. One was chakra, the other was a growing being. Right? Sakura chewed her bottom lip as she mulled over the new idea in her head.

Ino was again the first one to break the silence. She really hated when it was quiet.

"Sakura!" she said as she shook the woman's shoulders. "Hello? Earth to Sakura?"

"Huh?" Slowly, Sakura blinked out of her daze and looked at Ino. "Oh… Sorry, I just thought of… something."

Ino blinked curiously at Sakura. "Go on."

Sakura shook her head quickly, unwilling to share her musings with the group before her until she knew one way or another.

"Maybe next time," is all she gave in reply.

Ino pursed her lips, but removed her hands from Sakura's shoulders. Hinata merely gave a small frown. Only Temari seemed satisfied with the answer, having no desire to pry where she was not wanted.

"Well," Ino started, "we came to invite you to lunch. Thought you might enjoy a little girl time."

Sakura forced a smile to her face. 'Girl time' was really the last thing she had on her mind right now. She wanted distractions, not socialization.

"Maybe another day."

Ino nodded, having expected that answer. She knew it was still too soon, but she wanted her friend to know she was there for her.

"I thought I'd give it a shot," Ino said as she smiled brightly at Sakura. The smile faded to a frown though as Ino punched Sakura roughly in the shoulder.

"Ow! What the hell, Pig!"

Ino's sky blue eyes simmered with anger as she glared at her best friend.

"That's for running off into an obvious trap WITHOUT. TELLING. ANYBODY. Seriously, Forehead, what the _fuck_ were you thinking?"

Sakura blinked at Ino twice. It took a few seconds for a reaction, but the one Sakura gave was not at all what was anticipated. The noise started as a few disjointed chuckles until it grew into Sakura being doubled over in laughter as she clutched her stomach. Tears formed in her eyes that, for once in the last forty-eight hours, had nothing to do with terror or grief. The pink headed woman continued her hysterical cackling for a few minutes, and the trio next to her looked at one another with the same thought crossing all their minds – _she's gone insane._

Finally, Sakura stood up straight, wiping the tears from her face with one hand as she held her stomach with the other.

Ino blinked at her a few times. "What… what was _that_?" she asked cautiously.

Sakura beamed at Ino. "You were yourself again, and that's what I needed."

The blonde woman narrowed her eyes at Sakura, not quite understanding, but happy to see that maybe she _hadn't_ lost her mind yet.

"Well," Ino started, "let's all do dinner Friday, okay?"

Sakura nodded, and after a few more words of condolences and encouragement between them all, she was once again alone in her living room. She yawned and walked down the hallway to her bedroom. Sarada wasn't due back with Tsunade and Shizune until just before dinner, and the unexpected visit had drained her. Sakura craved a nap, but she was worried about taking one. She really didn't want another nightmare.

Another yawn forced itself from her as she deliberated whether to sleep or not, and Sakura decided she couldn't be afraid of it. Even if the nightmares came, she needed rest. Having stayed up crying most of the night with Karin, her reserves of energy were rather low.

She slipped under the covers without changing her clothes, completely uncaring about wrinkles or dirt. She only wanted to rest her head, and therefore her tumultuous thoughts of Sasuke and her pregnancy, for as long as she could.

* * *

Shiranui Genma liked to think of himself as an easy-going guy. And most people around him would agree with that. The rest would say he was _too_ easy-going. But one thing about him was undeniable – once you had his friendship and trust, he would be loyal to his dying breath. With that loyalty came a strong desire to ensure his friends were happy and smiling, not down and miserable.

Which is why the man with a senbon perpetually hanging from his lips found himself outside of the Hokage office at half past ten that evening, two bottles of sake balanced precariously in his left hand. He knocked on the door and heard a bid to enter. Kakashi stared at him with a feigned apathy as he walked into the office.

"Oh good," Genma said with a grin, senbon pointing up with the movement, "you were expecting me."

Kakashi sighed and rubbed his eyelids with a forefinger and thumb before answering. "If you hadn't shown tonight, you would have shown tomorrow," he said as he rested his arm down on the desk once again.

Genma's grin only grew wider. "Yep. Not gonna fight me on it this time, huh?"

Kakashi's eyes drooped as he shot Genma a disinterested stare. "That would be pointless. You never give up."

The brown haired jounin laughed loudly at Kakashi and moved forward towards the desk. "And here I thought you were the stubbornest bastard I'd ever met," he said as he placed the sake bottles between them before sitting down in one of the two other chairs in the room. Kakashi eyed the bottles warily, not much looking forward to imbibing. But he'd been through this with Genma before, and he knew the man would never give up once he'd got it in his head that they needed to chat about something. He'd be back day after day until Kakashi gave in. Last time he'd tried to convince Genma to forego the drinking but the brown haired man refused, claiming that Kakashi was easier to talk to when drunk.

"Only two bottles?" Kakashi asked, since usually Genma provided more than that.

Genma merely shrugged before pouring himself and Kakashi a small cupful. "I'm not much of a drinker these days. And I know you haven't been for a few years," he said as he pushed the cup along the desk. "I can go grab more if we need it. I'd say we should go to a bar, but I'm assuming you're still not fond of them."

Kakashi nodded and picked his cup up before quickly draining the liquid straight through his mask. It left the fabric unpleasantly wet against his lips, and the fumes from the alcohol stung his nose, but he wasn't quite ready to lower it. Not yet. He felt vulnerable without the mask, his emotions too easy to read. Kakashi hated feeling vulnerable.

He'd started wearing the mask just before he began at the academy. He had no real reason to wear it back then, he'd just thought it was something a ninja might have. It wasn't until after his dad committed suicide that he was truly thankful he had it. Students at the academy, and even adults on the streets, would quickly stop whispering while he was near and stare at him, only to pick up again once he walked by. With the mask, he hadn't a need to hide his facial expressions when it happened.

It was all too obvious they had been talking about him and his father. The hushed tones and looks of pity gave them away, and oh how he had hated them for it. He hadn't wanted their pity, or false concern. None of them had truly cared for his father, the White Fang of Konoha, Hatake Sakumo. Hell, they hadn't even cared for _him_ , the orphaned boy who found his father dead on the floor of their home at the young age of four. And so he kept wearing the mask, to guard himself from those people. If they didn't care about him, then they didn't deserve to see how he truly felt. After all, they wouldn't have talked to him about it. No, seeing his emotions would only give them more to whisper about behind his back. So he hid them.

Genma did care, however. And better yet, he didn't gossip. Genma had seen his face before, usually whenever they had moments like these. Once Kakashi has too much to drink, he sometimes forgets to put his mask back up – literally and figuratively. That was another reason he preferred to drink with friends in private, instead of in a public place like a bar. Genma drained his own small cup before refilling them both again. They repeated this process until the first bottle was completely empty, neither person saying a word.

When Genma moved to crack open the second bottle, and Kakashi realized he already had a decent buzz, the silver haired Hokage spoke.

"Mind telling me what you're here to talk about?"

Genma cocked a brown eyebrow at Kakashi, but still said nothing as he poured them both their next cups. Kakashi sighed and pulled down his mask finally to reveal the lower half of his face. He shot the alcohol down his throat and slammed the cup down on the desk in one quick movement, various papers fluttering about at the impact. He turned dispassionate eyes and thin pursed lips at Genma, and was met with quite possibly the biggest shit-eating grin he'd seen in his life.

"A bottle and a cup! That's the fastest yet," Genma said as he swallowed his own cup's contents and made a sound of contentment. Kakashi merely continued staring at Genma, waiting for some kind of reply.

"Hm. Well, I was hoping you'd tell me," Genma said as he twirled the senbon in his mouth back and forth. "I'm assuming it has something to do with Sakura."

Kakashi's lips thinned as he pushed them together. He tightened his jaw and turned his head to stare out the window next to him.

"Thought as much. Well it's obvious that you blame yourself for something," Genma continued as he leaned back in his chair. "Think you should have gone after them yourself? Maybe it's that you didn't round people together in time? Or do you blame yourself for sending Sasuke away at all?"

Kakashi relaxed his jaw and slid his eyes closed as he turned to face Genma again.

"…all of it," he finally replied.

The brown-haired man nodded and used his tongue to roll the senbon around to the other side of his mouth before speaking again.

"Piece by piece then," he said.

And so they started their ritual. Kakashi tried to convince Genma of his guilt, and Genma merely dissected each idea and helped Kakashi nail them down into the depths of his mind, where they remained until the next tragedy occurred. Perhaps it wasn't the healthiest method of dealing with problems, but it was what Genma could provide, and what Kakashi needed right now.

"So," Genma said as he poured them each their final cups, "have you seen her yet?"

Kakashi shook his head reached for his drink, but paused as it touched his lips.

"I… I have no idea what I would even say to her," he admitted.

Genma nodded thoughtfully. "Ever thought that maybe you just don't say anything?"

Kakashi downed his sake and then placed the mask back on his face and looked at Genma curiously.

The brown-haired jounin sighed and removed his forehead protector to run his hands through the strands before tying it back on his head.

"Look, man. She's already going to have half the town trying to cheer her up. You know she won't blame you for a damn thing. So she won't want your miserable ass to try and awkwardly lift her spirits, but she'll also think something's wrong if you avoid her. I think you should go see her and Sarada and just let _her_ lead the conversation." Genma shrugged. "There may not even be one, honestly. But it's better than wallowing in your own bullshit."

Kakashi snorted at that and spun his chair to the side. He stood on wobbly legs and cursed himself harshly for getting as drunk as he was on so little. Genma stood as well, though noticeably steadier. They both walked slowly towards the office door, and Genma pulled them open. Kakashi placed his gloved hand on Genma's shoulder, causing the man to look back at him.

"…Thanks."

Genma grinned widely and gave Kakashi a friendly wink. "Don't mention it, _Hokage-sama_ ," he said sarcastically.

Kakashi groaned loudly, gripped his forehead with his left hand in exasperation and pushed Genma through the doors with the other.

"Get out."


	8. Positively Overwhelmed

Sakura sat up from bed sharply, as if the nightmares in her head could be shaken loose with the quick movement. She did not scream as she awoke, though she could feel her throat aching with the need for it. She was about to reach out to the opposite side of her bed when the blissful seconds of post-sleep ignorance left her.

Her stomach lurched and the urge to scream bubbled up yet again. She yanked her hand back violently and nearly threw herself off the bed with the force of it. Sakura stared with wide eyes at the empty space on the mattress beside her, but she was lost inside her head. She had so many memories of Sasuke laying there. On his back or side. Asleep, or smiling. Teasing her, beckoning her closer…

Her mind sent these images to where she gazed vacantly, and she was motionless as they overlapped with each other in both sound and visuals. It took a few moments for her to shake herself from the visions that flickered before her eyes, and she was left once again with that overwhelming feeling of despair that had been chasing her for days now.

How was she supposed to keep her promise to him? Even if she found someone who she could feel strongly about, she knew it would never be the same. And she could still be pregnant… she was supposed to raise a second child on her own? Sakura rubbed her hand over her abdomen absently as she dwelt on her thoughts, feeling beyond lost and aimless.

It was almost an hour before she found herself composed enough to face the day, the sounds of her housemate and daughter having already reached her ears long ago. Sakura swung her legs off the side of the bed and slowly made her way out of her room and down the hall. The smell of breakfast was already drifting its way down the hallway. She heard the sound of Sarada’s giggles, and the snap and crackle of bacon as it fried in the pan. Still, she had no appetite. She loved breakfast – it was her favorite meal of the day. The fact that she could not find enjoyment in something as simple and delicious as bacon and eggs should have been concerning to her, but she frankly could not find the energy to be bothered by it.

Sakura sat down at the dining table, hoping desperately for her mood to change. She needed to be strong and held together for Sarada, but she felt nothing of the sort. How could she ever be the mother her child – maybe children – deserved?

It was then that her new red-haired roommate rounded the corner between the kitchen and the dining room with three plates balanced in her arms and hands. Karin swiftly placed the breakfast down on the table at their usual seats, while Sarada followed closely behind her with their utensils. The young girl grinned broadly at her mother as she noticed her.

“Good morning, mommy!”

Sakura returned her smile with one of her own.

“Good morning, ‘rada, and Karin.” Sakura turned to Karin with the smile still on her face as she greeted her. Karin returned it cautiously, still uncomfortable with attention from Sakura. After all, the pink-haired woman had completely surprised her multiple times over the last two days. Sakura had embraced her, then invited her to move in the next morning… all so shortly after having lost Sasuke. In a way, Karin felt intimidated by Sakura’s strength, and not just physically. Mentally and emotionally, Sakura seemed to be at a level that Karin could only strive to reach. She knew that if their positions were reversed and she had been the one Sasuke chose, she never could have handled herself so well immediately after… She may never have been able to recover, actually. If she had been the one to make love to him, have a child, and be married to him for four years… the thought of it made her shudder. Based on the pain she felt just from loving him from afar, Karin knew she would have been a shell of herself if she had been in Sakura’s shoes. The woman was just so strong.

And yet even though she was uncomfortable, Karin couldn’t help but find herself drawn to Sakura. It had been the reason she accepted the offer of staying here so easily.

“Uh… Karin?” she heard from across the table. Red eyes blinked back into focus, and Karin blushed upon realizing that she had been staring at Sakura very intensely as she had been carried away by her own thoughts.

“S-Sorry…” she mumbled as she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “Just got lost for a bit.”

Sakura tilted her head slightly and smiled gently at Karin before giving a quiet hum of understanding. Karin blushed further, hoping that Sakura didn’t _really_ understand what she had been thinking. One day she might have the confidence to tell her how much she truly admired her, but today was not that day.

Sarada watched both the adults at the table as she munched on her omelet and rice, confused by their interaction.

“Mommy!” she shouted across to them with a mouth full of food, immediately gaining her mother’s attention for her efforts. “Karin said we could go to the park with the other kids today!”

Sakura frowned a little. “Don’t talk with food in your mouth, sweetie,” she chided gently. “That sounds wonderful though,” she added when she saw Sarada’s expression fall a bit.

“You’re coming too right?” Sarada asked.

Shaking her head, Sakura reached a hand out and placed it on Sarada’s shoulder. “I can’t, honey. I have some things I have to take care of first.” Sarada frowned and fixed a glare at her mom, obviously unhappy with being told no. “But I promise you that after tomorrow, we’ll be spending lots more time together.”

The young girl’s glare deepened as she understood that not only would she not be playing with her mom today, but she wouldn’t be playing with her tomorrow either. But still, she didn’t fight it.

Sakura was stunned with how little resistance Sarada put up, as normally the child would be relentless in her eagerness to have her mother join. She grew sad as she thought that the loss of her father might have muted that bit of fire in her daughter, and she hoped it would come back in time.

 A knock on the door surprised all three, and Karin hastily stood to answer it. A few moments later, Karin returned with Tsunade and a pig-holding Shizune on her heels. Sarada gasped as she saw Tonton in Shizune’s arms.

“Piggy!” she shouted as she started to bounce in her seat. Shizune smiled at Sarada.

“Would you like to meet Tonton?” Shizune asked.

The toddler’s eyes brightened considerably as she nodded her head emphatically.

“Piggy!” she shouted again.

Shizune placed Tonton on the ground before removing Sarada from her high chair.

“C’mon,” she said as she put Sarada on her feet and grasped her hand, “Let’s go introduce you to each other!”

“Yay!” Sarada yelled, and the three of them walked quickly into the living room.

Tsunade eyed the empty plate of Sarada’s, half-eaten one of Karin’s, and completely full plate of Sakura’s. She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at her apprentice.

“Sakura, you need to eat,” she said in a tone that brokered no arguments.

But this was Sakura, and Sakura could always find an argument when she wanted one. She leveled her emerald gaze back at Tsunade and returned the look she was receiving.

“I’m not hungry,” she said obstinately. It was the truth though. She had woken up with no appetite, and even found herself slightly nauseous now.

Tsunade merely clenched her jaw tightly in order to stop the retort that found itself on her tongue. She gave a strong ‘ _tsk_ ’ instead and looked at Karin.

“What are you doing here?” she asked crassly.

“SHISHOU!” Sakura interjected immediately. “You may be my master, but you cannot address people that way in my home. Karin is a long-time friend of both mine _and_ Sasuke’s, and I’ve just invited her to move in. She’ll be around much more.”

Karin shifted her weight onto her other foot and fiddled with her hands in front of her, finding that she was uncomfortable being the center of attention. Tsunade looked at Sakura again, the young face her beauty jutsu provided her was schooled in a dispassionate expression.

“You died,” she stated roughly, and Sakura flinched at the reminder, “Forgive me if I’m more worried about you than normal,” Tsunade added on with a little sarcasm.

Sakura sighed. She deserved that one. Of course Tsunade was only looking out for her and Sarada’s safety. Her mentor was understandably concerned that the nightmare wasn’t yet over, and thus Karin was suspicious to her. Well, she knew how to remedy that.

“My apologies, shishou,” Sakura said after a few silent moments. “But you will need to get used to her.”

Tsunade gave a ‘ _hmph_ ’ and rolled her eyes. “I’m sure I will, eventually.”

_Eventually_? The thought of having to deal with Tsunade’s distrust of Karin over the next few weeks made her angry. Sakura shook her head and fixed a strong but unreadable expression onto her master.

“I’m sorry, but that’s not good enough. I’ve already told you that she’s a friend. I trust her, and that should be all you need to trust her too.”

Tsunade scowled at Sakura’s insolence, but said nothing. She knew how stubborn Sakura could be when she wanted, and the blonde was in no mood to argue about something that would have no good outcome for either of them. Blame it on a lifetime of loss and betrayal, but Tsunade just wasn’t as trusting as Sakura wanted her to be.

Of course, Sakura knew this.

“Shishou, why don’t you go to the park with Karin and Sarada today? You should get to know one another. And I’m sure Sarada would like that too.”

Amber eyes narrowed at emerald ones before sliding over to red ones as Tsunade processed the idea. She looked Karin up and down to as if to appraise the young woman’s value.

“Fine,” she replied, then abruptly turned on her heel to join her assistant in the other room.

Sakura released a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. Standing up to Tsunade had always been difficult for her. The blonde’s temper exceeded her own by far, and defying her was nerve-wracking. But, Tsunade would always give up the fight when she saw wisdom, so clearly something must have worked.

Karin’s heart was hammering in her chest at the thought of spending an _entire day_ around Tsunade without Sakura, and she looked over at the pinkette with a touch of fear in her eyes.

“Sakura?” she asked meekly.

The woman in question looked up at her in confusion. “Yes?”

“She uh… she makes me nervous,” Karin said as she fidgeted and looked at the ground.

Sakura chuckled. “Me too.” Karin gulped, and Sakura thought that maybe that was the wrong thing to say. “Oh no, don’t worry!” she added quickly. “She’s just… prickly. She’ll warm up to you.”

Karin stared at Sakura with obvious disbelief, and Sakura shook her head.

“Really. You’re fine.”

Karin sighed and nodded.

Sakura looked down at her untouched plate of food, and a fresh wave of nausea rolled over her.

“I’m sorry, Karin… This looks good, but I don’t think I can eat today.”

The red-head frowned but understood. “Don’t worry about it,” she said as she moved around the table and collected the dishes. She paused after she collected Sakura’s and looked down at her. “Tsunade is right though… you should eat something.”

Sakura grimaced and nodded before sliding her chair back and standing from the table. “I’ll make myself food later,” she said, unsure herself if she was being truthful or fibbing.

Karin was unconvinced, but took the dirty plates and cold food back towards the kitchen regardless.

Sakura stretched her arms skyward as her mind was invaded by the thoughts from earlier. Was she nauseous now because of grief, or was she still with child? She needed to know, one way or the other. Even if she wasn’t entirely sure which answer she wanted.

She walked into the living room with a determination she didn’t feel.

“Shizune, I need your help,” Sakura said as she entered the living room. The dark-haired woman looked at her quizzically.

“With?”

Sakura’s false determination faltered and she shifted her weight to her other foot subconsciously.

“It’s… just come with me, please,” she asked with just a hint of desperation.

All four other occupants of the room, even the one of the swine persuasion, gave her looks of concern. Eventually Shizune nodded her consent and ruffled Sarada’s hair as she walked by her to exit the room with Sakura.

Shizune was led down the hallway towards Sakura’s bedroom, then through it to the attached bathroom. Sakura kneeled down to open the cupboard underneath the sink and rummaged around for a few seconds before emerging with a small red bag. She placed it on the counter and turned back to Shizune.

“I need you to keep this to yourself… at least for now,” she said softly, causing Shizune to frown slightly.

“Sakura, what’s going on?”

Sakura sighed and ran a shaky hand through her short pink locks, trying to gather her courage before replying.

“I need you to check my blood for HCG,” she said finally.

Shizune stared at Sakura with wide eyes as she understood now what she was so concerned about.

“Oh…” was all the brunette could manage to reply. Sakura gulped audibly and moved back to the bag, opening it up and removing a needle, a vial, and a rubber tourniquet before handing it over.

Shizune nodded and took the tools from Sakura. “Alright. Sit down on the counter.”

Sakura did as told and held her arm out. Shizune tied the tourniquet around Sakura’s bicep and primed her arm for the blood sample. She found the vein quickly and pressed the needle in, then pushed the vial into place to catch the blood as it flowed.

Once she had taken an adequate sample size, Shizune removed the tourniquet and the needle.

“I can go test this for you right away,” she said as she fixed Sakura with a concerned expression. “I’m so sorry, Sakura… I hadn’t even thought of this.”

Sakura chuckled darkly. “Neither did I, until yesterday.”

Shizune smiled in understanding, then pulled Sakura in to an unexpected embrace. “We’ll all be here for you, no matter what.”

Sakura’s eyes grew wet with moisture at Shizune’s kindness, and she quickly wrapped her arms around the woman in return. The weariness and uncertainty of her own situation overwhelmed her suddenly, and she released a shuddering breath that threatened to turn into a sob. Shizune tightened her arms around Sakura briefly before letting her go and stepping back.

“I’ll keep discreet. Will you be here all day?”

“Yeah. I really should go see Kakashi at some point and figure out arrangements for… for the funeral tomorrow. I should have gone yesterday.”

Shizune nodded. “I’m sure he’s had someone take care of most things. The Hokage office usually handles shinobi burials anyway.”

Sakura gave Shizune a weak smile.

“SHIZUNE!” came a bellowing voice from the other end of the house, causing the brunette to flinch out of habit.

Sakura snorted in vague amusement. “I think Tsunade-shishou is looking for you.”

Sighing, Shizune placed the vial of blood into her pocket before exiting the bathroom, Sakura following closely behind.

“I can be back around 6. I have some other work around the hospital to attend to once I’m there. I could send someone with the information earlier, if you’d like?”

Sakura nodded quickly. “Please. As soon as you can.”

Shizune turned her head to glance at Sakura and smiled. “Of course.”

They were back in the living room, with Sarada dressed and eager to go to the park even as she played with Tonton. Tsunade had her arms crossed and was tapping her foot impatiently. She wanted to get moving.

“You have hospital work to attend to,” she said pointedly to Shizune. The brunette bowed her head to Tsunade.

“Yes, ma’am,” she replied as she moved to pick up Tonton.

Sarada looked up at Shizune from her seat on the ground, her black eyes wide and pleading. “Can Tonton play with me all day?”

Shizune looked at the young toddler, surprised by her request. Though she supposed she shouldn’t have been. She looked over to the pig in question, and chuckled as she saw the same pleading expression mirrored in her pet’s eyes. She stood back up ruffled Sarada’s hair again.

“Sure thing, kid,” she said, giving Sarada a bright grin. Tonton made excited noises as she hopped up and down. “You take good care of her, okay?”

Sarada beamed up at Shizune. “I will!”

Sakura walked towards them and picked Sarada up, pulling her into a tight squeeze.

“You have lots of fun today, okay?”

“You should come, mommy…” Sarada pouted.

Sakura kissed the young girl’s forehead. “Soon, baby.”

Everyone but Sakura slowly filtered out of the Uchiha home. She stood outside on the porch, staring at one of the clan symbols on the wall across from her door. Again she absentmindedly rubbed her belly as she wondered what result Shizune might send back.

Sighing, she turned back towards the house to get dressed and ready to see Kakashi.

“Sakura-chan!” came a shout from down the street. She turned to see Naruto walking towards her with Shikamaru following him, hands in his pockets. Naruto’s hands were clasped behind his head as he walked, and she could tell he was trying to give her his trademark grin. But he was clearly hurting like she was, and his heart wasn’t in it.

Naruto walked straight up to Sakura and gave her body crushing hug, which she returned with as much strength as she could. As much as seeing him again reminded her of her loss, she was glad he was there. Just like her and Karin, she and Naruto shared a certain bond with Sasuke that no one else would ever really understand.

He loosened his grip on her and took a small step back, but didn’t entirely let go.

“How are you doing?” he asked cautiously.

She gave him a sad smile. “Not too great…” she admitted.

Naruto’s large azure eyes looked down at her with sympathy. “Yeah…”

“How’re you?” she asked.

Naruto merely shrugged noncomittally and stepped farther back. “About the same.”

Shikamaru stepped forward and placed his hand on Sakura’s shoulder, surprising both her and Naruto. Comfort was not exactly Shikamaru’s forte. She looked at him with confused green eyes, and he smiled back tentatively.

“Sasuke and I didn’t talk much…” he began, “but I had a lot of respect for him… and I just wanted to tell you that I know this has to be hard for you.” He removed his hand from her shoulder and looked towards the ground like he usually did when he was feeling uncomfortable. “I don’t usually condone revenge, even if I needed it myself with Asuma…” He looked back up at her, his eyes set with determination. “But Sasuke saved the world with Naruto. In this case, even I want some payback. You’re the only one who has seen this bastard in person. If you can tell me what you know, I can help set up a strategy in case he returns.”

Sakura stared dumbfounded at Shikamaru for a brief moment before giving him a hopeful smile. She absolutely wanted revenge. Yake may not have killed Sasuke directly, but it was still his fault that he was dead. Naruto, however, frowned.

“Guys… part of the reason Sasuke and I _had_ to save the world is because people wanted revenge. We’re trying to work towards _fixing_ that, not continuing it. I want to kill the asshole too, but I’m not going to seek him out. To do so would be to tarnish what Sasuke chose to live and die for…”

Sakura glowered at her blond compatriot. He may have had a point, but she was about to get incredibly angry with him regardless when Shikamaru intervened.

“ _Tch_ , always so troublesome. We won’t call it revenge then, and we won’t go looking for him. But we’ll still need some kind of plan in case he returns.”

Naruto furrowed his brow and exhaled through his nose dramatically. “You better not go looking for him. And if he is stupid enough to come back, I’ll destroy him.”

“No,” Sakura said, her jaw shut tightly in anger. “I will.”

Naruto gave her a sidelong look. “I’m sure it was a fluke Sakura, but he did get the better of you this time…”

She looked at him in shock.

“I am _not_ weak,” she said fiercely.

He held his hands up in a placating gesture. “No no, I didn’t mean that you were Sakura. You’re crazy strong. I just…” he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, “I… I held your dead body in my arms for hours, Sakura-chan… I can’t go through that ever again. You’re the only best friend I have left. He knows your weakness, and I _will not_ risk losing you for good, whether you’re mad at me for it or not.”

He removed his hand from the back of his head and looked at her with conviction, obviously waiting for her to challenge him. Sakura felt the anger dissipate as quickly as it had come, and it left shame in its wake. How could she have been so selfish? Naruto was just as invested in this as she was.

She nodded slowly. “Alright, Naruto… but if it happens, we’re going to do it together. Okay?”

He smiled brightly at her. “I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Shikamaru sighed. “Keeping up with both of you is exhausting, but I’ll be there to help too. I just need to know what we’re up against…”

“I’m going to inform Kakashi of what happened and talk about tomorrow’s arrangements. Why don’t you two join me?”

Shikamaru and Naruto agreed hastily, and waited outside while she entered her home again to get ready. She dressed quickly, and the trio made their way towards the Konoha tower in relative silence.

Fifteen minutes later, they all stood outside the Hokage’s office doors and Sakura knocked for entry. The doors opened, revealing Genma on the other side, senbon hanging from his mouth as always.

“Well _hello_ ,” he said with a practiced sweetness. Sakura eyed him suspiciously, wondering if he was really going to jump back to being his lecherous self so soon after she lost her husband. He had chased her with requests for dates relentlessly from the time she was 18 until she left Konoha with Sasuke.

Almost as if he read her mind, he chuckled.

“Relax, Sakura. I’m not so low that I’d hit on you right _now._ ”

She gave a disbelieving ‘ _hmph_ ’ in reply, but said nothing else. She liked Genma, truly, but some of the perverted things he’d whispered in her ears all those drunken nights years ago could still make her blush, and she was no stranger to sex now by any means… obviously. She had a daughter, and Sasuke had been damn near insatiable when it came to making more.

“Enough,” came the rough voice of Kakashi. “Let them in.”

Genma grinned at her again before stepping aside and opening the doors wide enough to let them all enter.

Kakashi sat behind a veritable mountain of paperwork, looking faintly tired of Genma’s antics.

“What’s _he_ doing here?” Naruto asked as he pointed at Genma. The brown haired man frowned, his senbon turning downward with the motion.

“Ouch,” he said dramatically.

Kakashi shrugged. “Tenzou has been keeping watch on Sakura and Sarada, and he’s my usual guard and assistant. Genma isn’t as great, but he’ll do for now.”

Said man’s frown deepened. “ _Ouch,_ ” he repeated. Kakashi ignored him in favor of turning his attention to Sakura.

Sakura and Kakashi had grown close after he assumed office years ago. Tenzou may have been his official assistant, but the poor wood-user had been woefully unprepared to help Kakashi with the mundane day-to-day activities of a Kage. And though both Kakashi and Tenzou were skilled fighters, they were awful at organization. Thus, when Shizune and Tsunade left the village for the first year of Kakashi’s induction, the task of bringing them up to diplomatic snuff was Sakura’s.

Between continuing her work at the hospital by day and assisting them by night, she’d ran herself ragged rather quickly. After a few months, Kakashi had refused to let her assist until she had taken care of herself first. And when that never happened, because she possesses a stubborn streak that rivals his own, Kakashi had taken to forcibly dragging her to restaurants and sometimes bars in order to help her relax, claiming that she’d done enough to help already.

The first time it happened, the residents of Konoha had found it rather disconcerting that their Hokage was walking around the streets with a young girl slung over his shoulder as she pounded her fists repeatedly on his back. But after the fifth time they were used to it and merely shrugged their shoulders as the two walked by.

“I thought you might come by today,” Kakashi said. He smiled at her softly, his eyes crinkling with happiness. “It’s good to see you, Sakura.”

Sakura knew that he had actually expected her two days ago, and could tell by his tone that he was trying not to be bothered that she hadn’t come to see him. But he hadn’t exactly sought her out either, so she didn’t feel too bad. Besides, she knew he understood that she hadn’t been ready, and still probably wasn’t. It was only her sense of duty that brought her here now.

Sakura smiled warmly at her ex-sensei and team leader. “You too, Kakashi.”

She could see even through his mask that he was smiling a little brighter at that. He turned gravely serious after a moment and looked more like the Hokage he truly was.

“Sakura, I need to know what happened the night Sarada was taken.”

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“Right… let’s get through this, then.”

And so she started on her story, leaving no little detail untold. She was thankful that nobody was interrupting her, even as she paused periodically to compose herself. All the anger and fear she felt had been dulled the last few days by her sorrow, but it returned in full force as she went through every detail of her memory in order to relay it to Kakashi and the others in the office.

She was weary by the end of her tale, and wanted nothing more than to curl into a ball and sleep.

Shikamaru was the first to speak. “It seems like he tried not give too much away just in case things didn’t go as planned, unfortunately. We know he has a drug strong enough to incapacitate you, of all people; the apprentice of Tsunade and top medic of Konoha.” The dark-haired man clucked his tongue as he thought some more. “But you said as he left, he melted into the ground in a black puddle before the puddle slipped out of the cave? Are you sure?”

Sakura nodded. “Yes. I might have been dying, but that was the last thing I remember seeing before… before…” she trailed off.

Shikamaru hummed in response, understanding that she didn’t have the nerve left to talk about her revival.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes at Shikamaru, knowing the man well enough to realize that he might know more than he was letting on.

“Shikamaru, do you know of a person or a clan with these abilities?”

The jounin in question shifted his weight to his other foot as he shoved his hands in his pockets and tilted his head towards Kakashi.

“Maybe. I need to do some research before I bring any theories to you.”

“How soon can you be done?”

“Give me three days.”

Kakashi nodded. “Very well,” he said before returning his gaze to the pink-haired kunoichi. “Now, there are some other things we must go over, Sakura.”

She grimaced, knowing that he wanted to discuss any remaining funeral arrangements she needed to take care of before the ceremony tomorrow.

“I-“ she started.

“Can tell me tonight,” Kakashi finished for her.

She looked at him quizzically. Thankful as she was for the delay, part of her just wanted to get through it so that she could go home and wallow in her misery.

“I’m sure you’d like some time to rest. And these matters should be held in private, anyway,” he clarified.

Sakura pursed her lips slightly, but nodded regardless.

“Alright,” she said.

Kakashi gazed at her for a few silent moments, so very grateful that she was still standing before him. Hearing her side of the story had both twisted his guts in worry and made him angry beyond reason, though he would never show it outwardly – certainly not with so many witnesses. Asking her to speak to him more tonight was for his benefit just as much as it was for hers. He needed time to compose himself as well.

“Expect me around seven,” he finally stated.

Sakura couldn’t help herself. “Eight-thirty. Got it,” she said, earning herself an impassive stare from Kakashi and a few chuckles from Genma. She turned around to leave, but stopped halfway through when she saw Naruto. The blue eyed man stood stock-still, jaw shut and fists clenched tightly at his sides, his faraway look directed out the windows behind Kakashi.

She took a tentative step towards him and placed her hand on his arm, breaking him from his thoughts. He turned to look at her with an indecipherable emotion floating in his azure orbs. His eyes softened as he took in her worried expression, and he quickly pulled her into his arms in yet another near bone-crushing embrace.

“Never do that again, Sakura-chan,” he whispered softly into her ear. “Promise me, please.”

She closed her eyes and laid her head on his chest as she wrapped her arms around him as best she could. “I promise.”

Kakashi watched the tender moment and felt a slight twinge of something he couldn’t place. He chalked it up to worry for Sakura, and decided to think no more on it.

She turned back to Kakashi and bowed. “See you tonight,” she said before swiftly exiting the room to return to her home. Naruto followed after her quickly, intent on escorting her back home. Shikamaru remained, lost in thought and clearly concerned about whatever it was that occupied his mind.

“Three days, Shikamaru,” Kakashi said in a tone that indicated he was dismissed.

Shikamaru’s head turned towards Kakashi and he bowed as well before leaving without another word. Kakashi sighed and rubbed his gloved hand over his eyelids.

“Quite a story,” Genma said.

“Hmm,” Kakashi agreed, “I don’t think I’ve wanted to kill anyone more in my life,” he admitted, now that it was only him and the senbon-sucking jounin remaining.

Genma snorted. “You and everyone else,” he said.

* * *

Clearly the entirety of the Leaf shinobi knew by now what happened, since it seemed as though people she hardly knew or had absolutely never seen before in her life came to her door in a steady stream. Every time she had five minutes to herself, she relished it. As the afternoon hours passed, she grew exhausted. Not from the small talk and idle pleasantries. No, she grew tired from that _look_ she kept getting; pity.

She was absolutely sick of it. Various shinobi she slightly recognized but couldn’t put a name to had been showing up for hours now to give their condolences and offer assistance that they knew she would never take. And each and every one of them had that _god damned_ look in their eyes.

She sighed as she closed the door behind her latest visitor. It was half past six now, and she resolved to ignore all knocks at her homestead until at least seven, just in case Kakashi decided to turn up on time for once.

Ino had shown up roughly an hour ago to ask Sakura if it was okay that Sarada attend a sleepover at Chouji and Karui’s house. Apparently all the children were there, and Chouji was planning to have a big barbecue for the little tykes. Sakura had agreed on the condition that Karin be allowed to stay there too, then informed Tenzou so that an ANBU member could watch over Sarada that night as well.

The messenger Shizune had sent by came hours ago, and the sealed envelope he delivered remained untouched on her coffee table. She sat down on the couch, curling her feet under her body. Sakura stared at the orange envelope, her mind running overtime with whatever answers it may hold for her.

It was then that her stomach rumbled loudly, reminding her she hadn’t eaten all day long. She groaned, but decided that she had put off eating for long enough. It was unbecoming of a shinobi to ignore their own wellbeing, after all. She stood again, staring apprehensively at the envelope one last time before heading off to her kitchen.

Rummaging around in her fridge, she found some saury that she supposed Karin had bought recently. It wasn’t exactly her preferred meal, but she knew it was Kakashi’s. She smiled to herself as she pulled it out, deciding that she would treat him to his favorite dish tonight as a thank you for being so understanding earlier that day. Her grin widened as she saw an eggplant and just enough miso paste for two servings of soup also sitting innocently on a shelf. It was too perfect. She removed them as well, deciding that he’d just have to reheat it if he was late.

She hummed absently to herself as she prepared dinner, focusing all her energy on making it as delicious as possible. Devoting her thoughts to dinner rather than the contents of what lay on her coffee table seemed much more preferable to her at this moment. She knew that the answer she sought could either destroy her or empower her… no matter if it was positive or negative.

She sat down at her dining room table thirty minutes later with a plate full of food. She was salivating at the smell as she dug into it, eager to give her body some of the sustenance it craved. Kakashi was late as usual, but she paid no mind to it. Sakura finished her entire meal within minutes, having been more famished than she thought she was.

She picked up her plate and took it to the kitchen, where she cleaned it and all the dishes and pans she’d used to create it. Once that task was finished, she looked up at the clock. She smiled as it read seven-thirty, figuring she had at least one more hour until Kakashi appeared.

Having nothing left to occupy her, Sakura returned to her living room and sat on the couch once again. The orange envelope taunted her, daring her to open it. She warred with herself – she desperately wanted to know if she was still pregnant, but… what if she actually was?

If she was pregnant, Sakura knew she was in for a tough time ahead. She was only a little past two months along at this point, if she was still with child. And _if_ she was, that spelled a lot of trouble in her future. She had no idea how she was going to raise one child as a single mother, let alone two. Part of her hoped she was still carrying Sasuke’s second child, but the other part was worried about if she actually was.

And if she wasn’t pregnant? Sakura cringed inwardly at the idea. As ashamed as she was to admit it, she might feel slightly relieved that she no longer had to think about taking care of another kid without a father figure to help guide them. Yet, it could also crush her to know that she lost another bit of Sasuke that she had left.

Several long minutes later, Sakura finally resolved to figure out what destiny had in store for her.

She grabbed the orange envelope and tore it open unceremoniously, driven by the sudden desire to meet her fate head-on.

She ripped it open and hastily pulled the paper free, scanning the words on the page to find the answer she sought. Her eyes skimmed over the results, and she sat motionless as she absorbed it.

There was a knock on her door, but the cacophony of thoughts in her mind drowned out the sound. Kakashi opened the door after standing outside for a minute, deciding that maybe she was just too far away to hear it. He _was_ about an hour late, after all.

He walked slowly through her home, faintly noticing that it smelled of saury and miso as he went. He checked the rooms nearest the front door while he moved. It was the second room her found her in. She sat with her back to him on the couch, staring blankly at a piece of paper.

“Sakura?” he asked cautiously as he approached. She made no move to acknowledge him, even as he stood directly in front of her and waved his hand back and forth trying to get her attention. Finally he grew tired of waiting, and grabbed the piece of paper from her hands to read it himself. His eyes grew wide as he realized the implications of what he held in his hands.

_HCG: Positive_


	9. Fighting Through Pain

Kakashi placed the paper down on the coffee table next to him and knelt to Sakura’s eye level. It was obvious that she was completely lost in thought, unaware that he was even there. He waved his hand in front of her face again, receiving no response. Snapping his fingers at her did nothing, and neither did whistling a random tune or trying to call her name. He stared at her faraway emerald orbs a few moments longer before reaching up to his mask and pulling it down around his neck, hoping the shock of seeing his face might help.

He squat in front of her for the next couple of minutes, attempting his process of trying for her attention through everything except physical touch. He _would_ have tried to literally shake her out of her daze, but that seemed like a _really bad idea_ to do to somebody who could crush a hundred yards of earth with her bare fists… in a single punch.

He sighed as he stood. He rubbed a hand on his chin in thought and looked around the room for something to throw at her. His eyes landed on a few throw pillows by her side and on a recliner, and he grinned to himself. Kakashi picked up the pillows and walked to the side of the room shrouded in shadow, taking care to leave most of his body in the moonlight so she wouldn’t mistake him for a real attacker with oddly soft kunai, or some kind of strange down feather kekkei genkai.

Organizing the pillows from smallest to largest, he took aim and prepared his assault.

_Thunk_.

The small pillow hit its target right on the forehead, but the woman merely screwed her features into one of disgust and swatted at the air in front of her face.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes at her in disbelief – she was so far gone that she thought that was an _insect_?

“You’re kidding,” he said aloud, hoping that maybe she’d actually snapped out of it already and was trying to see him maskless for as long as possible before ending her charade. He didn’t particularly care if she saw him without his mask. He trusted her. He just enjoyed keeping up the mystery around his former students.

He sensed no recognition from her at his words. He rolled his eyes upwards to stare at the ceiling and sighed overdramatically.

“Alright, Sakura. You asked for this.”

_Thunk. Thunk thunk. THUNK THUNK THU_ -

“Wha- WHAT THE FUCK?!”

“Oh good, you’re back,” Kakashi said, mask in place once again and eyes creased with mocking glee. He would look perfectly innocent, if she didn’t know that he was usually the exact opposite.

“Were you… throwing _pillows_ at me?!” she screeched.

“Hmm,” he said, glancing around at the evidence scattered about the floor. “Well you see, there’s this really strange contest going on nearby. People are trying to see how far they can arc various pillows, and some of the contestants evidently have _very_ strong arms. You really shouldn't leave windows open when such dangerous events are happening, Sakura- _chan_. Why, if I was a second later, old lady Kiki’s embroidery may have knocked you out cold.”

Sakura felt her eyelid twitch momentarily as she stared at her ex-sensei, her frustration and anger building higher with every second that he continued to give her what she assumed was a shit-eating grin. She growled lowly and stood up to go sock him over the head, but her eyes crossed over the paper on her coffee table as she did. Immediately she was lost again, and she furrowed her brow to stare at the paper as she flopped back down onto the couch.

Kakashi shook his head. This just wouldn’t do. He moved to stand in front of her, blocking her view of the pregnancy results.

“Get up,” he said in the tone he reserved for when he thought she was being particularly petulant.

She glanced up at him dully, not caring what might happen if she ignored him. She had too much on her mind.

“Get. Up.”

Sakura rolled her eyes at him and tucked her feet under her body. “Leave me alone,” she said softly, having lost all will to argue over something petty like a pillow fight and horribly lame excuses.

He stood still for a few seconds, and Sakura thought briefly that he’d do as she asked. Then suddenly the world was turning around her before everything went bla- no… dark grey?

It had been a long time, but she’d seen the world from this vantage before. And right now, she was staring at the back of Kakashi’s grey flak jacket after having been slung unceremoniously over the tall man’s shoulder, his arm holding her securely to his body by her waist.

The return of her ire was immediate, and she fumed at the audacity of her silver-haired captor. He started moving towards the door, and she wriggled in his grasp. He frowned and tightened his grip.

“Stop.”

Sakura spluttered at him.

“Me? You want ME to stop? Oh how _funny_ , I want YOU to stop too!” She pounded her fists on his back a few times, trying to get her point across. He sighed and opened the front door, prompting her to thrash about a bit more, even as she tried not to hurt him too badly.

“Kakashi!” she shouted as he stepped outside the comfort of her home. Her stomach dropped and she felt the air rush around them as he jumped onto the roof. Yamato appeared next to them within a second, kunai held in front of him as he prepared to attack. Kakashi merely tilted his head at his long-time friend.

“We’ll be back later. Don’t follow us,” he declared with a certain finality.

Yamato narrowed his eyes at the silver-haired man. “And how do I know you’re really Kakashi-senpai?”

Kakashi leveled a glare at Yamato that any lesser man would have ran from.

“I can go into detail about what happened the night of your 22nd birthday, if you’d like.”

Yamato said nothing, but also made no moves to let them pass. Meanwhile, Sakura continued her screaming and beating of Kakashi’s back.

Kakashi sighed again, ignoring the ball of fury on his shoulder.

“You remember, don’t you? When you ended up in bed with Genma and that really nasty kunoichi fro-“

Yamato twitched and dropped his hand to his side quickly.

“You may go.”

Without another word, Kakashi took off across the rooftops towards the training grounds at break-neck speed, his pink-haired prisoner never ceasing in her angry tirade.

They arrived within minutes. Kakashi could already feel his back throbbing with what he was sure would be new bruises, but he didn’t care. He’d come to a decision that he wouldn’t let her wallow in her own misery any longer, regardless of the price his body might have to pay for it. Doing nothing as she dwelt on her pain seemed tantamount to watching her die before his very eyes because this was _Sakura_ – she was supposed to have a temper and attack people that made her angry. She’d already died physically once, and he refused to let it happen emotionally while he could do something about it.

He dumped her onto the ground and took a quick step back as she leaped up to swing at his face.

“YOU STUPID ASSHOLE!” she yelled as she rushed him. “I am _not_ some doll you can pick up and cart around whenever you _DAMN WELL FEEL LIKE IT!_ ”

He dodged and ducked her fists, and she matched him step for step. Her rage fueled her forward, but made her blind and clumsy in comparison to the currently calm seasoned veteran that had made his name as ‘Copy Nin Kakashi.’ He felt his back coming up against a tree and, having no option other than running, grabbed each of her fists the next time they came barreling towards his face.

Sakura bared her teeth in frustration and funneled chakra to her feet before using it to push him back into the tree roughly. He grunted in pain as his body hit the solid object, but he didn’t release her. He stared back at her instead, meeting the fire in her eyes with one of his own. She glared at him a few moments longer before rumbling low in her throat. She didn’t know what he was doing, and frankly didn’t care right now. She was pissed.

Sakura twisted her body as she threw a knee to his side. Her frustration grew as she heard a poof. A cloud of smoke and falling log appeared before her just as she her knee made connection. Strong arms wrapped around her torso, and she felt herself being pulled firmly against his chest.

“You and I are going to be here all night,” he whispered into her ear. His warm breath caused a shiver down her spine as it slid over her skin. She grit her teeth and slammed her heel down onto his foot, feeling satisfied as he grunted in pain and loosened his grip slightly. She took advantage of the distraction and quickly shifted herself around until she was facing him.

“That was low,” he said huskily, his eyes glassy with pain as he stared at her. Sakura felt her lip twitch as she glared up at Kakashi.

“Don’t talk you to _me_ about _low._ I’m not the one who abducted somebody!” She jabbed her finger into his chest as she made her point. She then shoved him away and crossed her arms to look at him pointedly. “Why the hell are we here?!”

The haze of pain slowly lifted from Kakashi’s dark eyes but he remained steadfast, boring into her with his gaze. Her cheeks grew red as he stared. It felt like he was trying to read her soul, which was more than a little embarrassing for the pinkette. She was conflicted with so many thoughts right now, and she wasn’t sure she wanted him to know them all.

Sakura sighed after it was clear that he wouldn’t be speaking next, feeling some of her anger drain out of her.

“Kakashi, why are we here?” she asked again, much more calmly this time.

A light eyebrow arched at her question, as though he thought the answer was obvious and she was simple for being confused. She felt her eye twitch as she grew angry yet again. Kakashi had a fantastic way of giving her mood swings.

“To spar,” he said finally.

“So you steal me away from my home and bring me out here to, what, have me beat you up?”

He shrugged.

“I doubt you could do that, but I’m willing to let you try.”

It was a complete fib, of course, only said in the hopes of riling her up some more. He was well aware that she could kick his ass if he let his guard down for even a moment. But he could also kick hers if he got the same advantage, so he wasn’t terribly worried. He wouldn’t, considering she was pregnant now, but the fact remained that he _could._

Her jaw clenched at his statement.

“You think I’m weak, then?”

He tilted his head at her in confusion. Of course he didn’t – he hadn’t thought that of her in nearly a decade. But in her anger, Sakura saw the motion as less the confused one it was and more of a mocking one. Instantly she dashed forward and threw a right jab, only for it to hit air as he disappeared. She scanned her surroundings carefully, looking for a glint of silver in the pale moonlight.

_There._

She tossed a kunai up into a tree a few yards away, but heard only a dull thunk as it hit and embedded itself into the bark. She knew he was there, though. Sakura jumped into the branches behind the trunk where he was perched and threw a roundhouse kick to it. That part of the tree exploded into a shower of splinters, and the remainder of the wood fell down to the ground with a loud thud.

Kakashi stood on the opposite tree branch, eyes wide as he stared across the now empty space at an angry kunoichi. It had been a few years, but the rule of their spars had always been that she would refrain from using her crazy strength, and for the most part she followed it. She only broke it when she was truly pissed, which usually resulted in _him_ having some broken bones after the fact.

_Shit,_ he thought.

He was momentarily stunned, and she took the opportunity to rush him again. He recovered just in time to duck as her fist was centimeters from his face, and used her momentum to unbalance her by knocking her feet out from under her with a sweeping kick. She fell from the branch, doing a flip mid-air to land on her feet before jumping up at him again, new kunai in hand. The sound of steel hitting steel rang through the air as she chased him through the branches of the forest.

She hardly remembered why she was attacking him at all anymore. All she knew was that the anger flowing through her now felt so much better than the sorrow she’d found herself burdened with over the last three days. She let it overtake her and push away the sadness of her loss and the fear of being a single mother of two.

They sparred for hours, the moon above slowly shifting in the sky as the time passed. It was nearing midnight now, and they had abandoned their weapons in favor of hand-to-hand combat. Well, more like hand-to-air. Though she wasn’t using her full strength, it was obvious that there was some chakra behind her blows. The few hits Kakashi had received cracked a couple of ribs and both arms, prompting him to dodge more than block.

Eventually, they wound down and stood across from one another. Sakura was breathing harshly and soaked in sweat, and was pleased to find Kakashi in a similar state. She held her hands up in defeat before laying down on the dirt to stare up at the night sky. She was surprised to find her mind wasn’t running away with her any longer, most likely thanks to her exhaustion.

She sensed him coming nearer and turned her head to look at him as he settled himself cross-legged by her side. She grunted before crossing her hands behind her head and looking back up at the clouds above.

Kakashi instead stared at Sakura, thinking to himself of how she had nearly been taken from this world just a few days ago. He hated how weak it made him feel to lose comrades. He pulled his copy of Icha-Icha from his back pocket and opened it to a random page. He found himself reading the same sentences over and over as he mulled on the events of the last few days, including the piece of paper he’d torn from her hands just a couple of hours ago.

Sasuke was gone, but he’d left her a second child. She’d have to raise both alone. It was no wonder she had been as distressed as she was when he found her. What _was_ a wonder was how much it had bothered him to see her that anguished. It didn’t suit her at all to be so stuck in her head like that. She wasn’t the brooding type. Pulling her off to spar had been a spur of the moment decision and he was quite happy with the outcome, even if he’d walk away sporting a few nasty bruises and a couple of hairline fractures.

“Kakashi?”

“Hm?”

“What was that for?”

He lowered his book just enough to peek at her over the top of it and gave her a quizzical look.

“What was _what_ for?”

Sakura pushed herself up to a sitting position and met his gaze.

“Pulling me out of my home and making me angry so that I’d try to hurt you for it.”

He looked at her impassively.

“It’s fairly obvious.”

She shook her head back at him.

“No, it isn’t.”

Kakashi sighed and put his beloved orange novel back in his pocket to show that he was giving her his full attention now.

“You needed it,” he stated simply, as though that explained everything. He carefully left out the fact that he had needed it as well, unable to handle seeing her in such a worried state. She furrowed her brow at him.

“I just lost my husband, and discovered that I’m still pregnant with his second child... And you thought I needed to get angry and _spar_?” she asked incredulously.

He remained as poker-faced as ever. The mask certainly helped.

“It worked, didn’t it?”

“That’s not the p-“

“It is,” he interrupted her, the look in his eyes daring her to challenge him on it further.

Sakura’s jaw snapped shut as she felt her argument die on her tongue. She sighed. He was right, as usual. She had been telling herself for days now that she needed a proper distraction, she just hadn’t thought that she’d find the solution in anger. And she certainly hadn’t anticipated Kakashi being the one to help her realize that.

She stood and he followed shortly after, wincing lightly as the motion caused him pain. Sakura ‘ _tsk_ ’ed at him before moving to his side, her hands glowing with healing chakra.

“Where is it?”

“Ribs. Arms.”

She held her hands over the spots he pointed to and began to mend the slight fractures.

“You deserved this.”

He grunted in agreement.

“It was worth it.”

Sakura looked up at him in shock to find him staring at her with an odd look in his eyes. Unbeknownst to her, he was also surprised at his admission. Though he was very happy that she no longer appeared to be so haunted, he didn’t intend to let her know that he’d gladly let her beat him up for it.

A devilish grin crossed her face. Well, if he was willing to be her distraction, she was happy to let him.

“Say, Kakashi, would you like to spar again soon?”

He cringed.

“Can’t. Hokage duties,” he said dismissively.

Sakura decided to try and use his ego and sense of duty against him. She pouted at him.

“But you were right like always! Sparring really did help. Please?”

He narrowed his eyes at her puppy-dog look.

“You’re too obvious. Go find someone else to beat up.”

“But you’re the only one who can take it! Naruto wouldn’t take me seriously if I asked him, and everyone else is too scared I’m going to crack their skulls.”

He said nothing, but continued to glare at her.

“Oh come on, ‘kashi. I promise I won’t use chakra again.”

“…fine.”

She flashed him a bright smile, and he couldn’t help but smile back.

“Oh! We still have to talk about tomorrow’s…” she trailed off, her thoughts once again heading down a dark path.

Sensing this, Kakashi placed a hand on her shoulder to bring her attention back to him. She looked up at him, confused, and he crinkled his eyes upwards in his usual manner.

“C’mon. Back to your place then.”

She gave him a small, grateful smile, and he reached the hand on her shoulder up to ruffle her hair before dashing out of the training grounds. Sakura frowned and combed her pink strands back into their proper place with her fingers before following him.

They arrived a short time later and sat at the dining room table, Kakashi and Sakura both wanting to avoid the paper in the living room. Sakura discussed with him what was planned; who would be speaking, and how they might portray the late Uchiha. The crimes of his past were no secret, but she desperately wanted him to be remembered for more than that. Thankfully, it seemed Kakashi and the rest of the Leaf shinobi did as well.

Once they had finished, Kakashi courteously picked up the pillows that were still strewn about the living room while Sakura stooped over the coffee table to pick up her HCG results. She no longer felt the blind terror she had earlier, but she was still understandably nervous.

When Kakashi was done, he was happy to find that Sakura was already folding the paper up and putting it into her pocket. It was a marked improvement from earlier. She walked him to the door and said goodbye before heading back to her bathroom.

She wanted to shower quickly to remove the dirt and grime from her body, but found herself unwilling to leave the warm stream of water once she was finished. Her mind drifted back and forth over the events of the last few days, and now the newest one as well. It had been awhile since she had spent any considerable amount of time with her ex-sensei, and she found herself greatly enjoying his company – even when he was intentionally trying to piss her off.

Maybe that was why she enjoyed it? He didn’t mollycoddle her like so many others, and it was incredibly refreshing. Reluctantly, she turned off the shower and dressed into her pajamas.

That evening, she drifted off into a sound sleep devoid of nightmares.


End file.
